


Adding Age to the Group

by Dontjudgemyfanfichistory



Series: Timeverse [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Age, Alternate Universe, Angst, Fluff, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Multi, Rated T for swearing, Technically original male character but not really, The hero of time from the adult timeline meets the gang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:34:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 64,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22100359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dontjudgemyfanfichistory/pseuds/Dontjudgemyfanfichistory
Summary: Adult Timeline Link from OoT joins the gang.---Updated and Edited LiveMost Recent Update: Chapter three - Finding a group
Relationships: Link/Malon (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Malon (Legend of Zelda)/Time (Linked Universe)
Series: Timeverse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022914
Comments: 210
Kudos: 576





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This all started in the Linked Universe discord server. I blame them and regret nothing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prologue - How exactly does a timeline split?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are folks! The re-write includes a new prologue. Are you really surprised? I mean it is me after all.
> 
> Don't fear however. A lot of changes lay ahead and if you want to get to the older un edited classic then look for AAttG Unchanged on my Ao3 page. It's the entire story as it was BEFORE editing/ re-writing.

In the end, it was a broken ankle that changed the timeline. 

Link collapsed on the ground, his legs giving way as he dropped the sword. Blood filled his nose and eyes and clothes, Ganon’s blood. His ankle throbbed and he felt sharp jabs of pain shoot through his leg when he even tried to move himself. 

But he could relax. Because Ganondorf was dead, or banished, or both. He didn’t know too much about the magic side of it. The bastard was gone and Link could breathe easy now. The imaginary weight that had been on his shoulders for the past year was gone. There was a certain easiness to the way he drew breath. He felt quick tears run down his cheeks, collecting the dirt and blood off his face and falling to the ruined cobble of Hyrule Castle beneath him.

There was a gentle hand on his shoulder, Link glanced behind him. 

Zelda was kneeling next to him. Her bright clean dress was smudged and ripped by the ash and dirt around them. She was sweating, her chest rising and falling faintly as she gripped his shoulder. Sending Ganon away couldn’t have been easy for her. 

Link felt his words leave him. He pulled her closer and buried his face in the curve of her neck. Her dress wouldn't be able to recover from this he thought bitterly. She let him stay there, letting her fingers run through his tangled and matted hair. 

After what felt like an eternity and a lifetime more, she spoke quietly into his ear, so soft he wasn’t sure if it was her or one of the many thoughts swimming in hIs clouded mind. “Come, let’s go.” She prompted him. “He’s dead, we can leave.” There were tears on her face too, painting clean lines on her pink skin. 

She took her hands in his and gently pried him off the ground. Link’s breath hitched as he put weight on his ankle, it had been a failed dodge of the giant pitchfork Ganon had swung at him followed by an awful recovery. He almost slipped from her grip but Zelda held him firmly. “Someone must be waiting for us.” She encouraged. “We must go and greet the new Hyrule.”

He nodded dimly. Everything hurt and he wanted to sleep. Navi was asleep somewhere. He wished he could be a fairy. 

In another time, Link hadn’t collapsed. He’d stood tall and breathe in and out as Zelda hesitantly greeted him. Link then had been sent back in time, back to a painful existence that not even he could have comprehended. 

In another time, Link hadn’t been able to dodge. Link had been struck through the leg and collapsed. That Link had been stabbed, repeatedly by a gleeful giant as Zelda stood from afar and watched. She would flee not long after with the master sword in hand, never to speak of the fallen hero again. 

But he was neither of those people. He relied on Zelda for support and she on him. Side by side, the couple limped their way away from the castle, leaving the gore and blood far behind them. Neither of them were to return there for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feedback is always appreciated!


	2. Chapter 1 - Rebuilding a Kingdom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does it take to rebuild a fallen Kingdom? There wasn't exactly a manual provided for this kinda stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (12-20-2020) Taking things slower between Zelink, but I will be focusing on it a LOT more in the re-write. I love them your honor.

A small militia of men and women from Kakariko had greeted the princess and her hero in the former great Castletown square. With great difficulty, they had cleared the redeads from the streets and rid the village of any magical evil monster they could find. Zelda thanked them dearly for their courage. 

Link had collapsed in the arms of one of the men that had volunteered to carry him, fatigue had gotten the best of him.

Celebrations for the end of the tyrant's reign were held at Lon Lon ranch. It was the only bit of land hardly affected by Ganon’s touch. What counted as celebration was hard to measure as well. A large fire was lit and many people from around the country, brought together by the fight against Ganon sang songs and gave cheer around. 

Zelda tired and weary smiled as Gorons pounded the ground and whooped for joy, various fey children from the forest ran around teaching the frogs in the ranch how to sing songs. Men and Women from Kakariko sat with the rest of them, clapping along and the few with energy danced. 

The few Zora that had escaped the lake were here as well. Zelda recognized the many Zora highmen as they made small talk with the few Gerudo that had slunk from the desert. 

Malon, the daughter of the farm owner offered her a blanket. “You must be awful cold.” She worried. “So far from the fire as you are.”

Zelda hummed at her care. “You’re far too kind, dear. Thank you.”

Link was inside, resting she was told. Asleep on the farmers couch as his wounds were being tended to by a few of the fey children. They had supposedly grown up with him if she were to believe what they had told them. 

Navi, Link’s fairy companion, had been the one to call for them. She greatly appreciated the help, even if when she did talk to her, she seemed somewhat overbearing.

“If I may ask, my Queen,” That right, Zelda was queen now “you said that Ganondorf was gone. What do you mean?”

“Dead.” She mumbled. “Dead with his spirit sent to the sacred realm. Hopefully to never see the light of day again.”

“And Link?” Zelda tracked the eyes over the young farmgirl. She must have been young. A few years her junior at least. “Link killed him.”

“I see.” Malon nodded. “That must have been something awful.”

“I would gladly never see the castle again.” She muttered. “If you would have us, I would like to stay here as the town is rebuilt. I- ” She swallowed. “I’d hate to impose on you, but I’m not sure if I am able to even enter the town at the moment.”

Malon, her smile as bright as the sun. “No worries, your greatness. Link has stayed with us plenty over the months, we would be honored to house the both of you.”

With the light blush dancing over her face, Zelda had a sneaking suspicion that this girl was all too ready to let Link stay the night- she pushed the thought from her mind. Now was neither the time or the place to criticize a girl who had lived through Ganon’s reign. In that way they were somewhat alike. Zelda chuckled lightly. 

“Please, Malon, there is no need to call me her highness. I wish to make friends with you.”

Malon glowed, whether from the fire illuminating her skin or the fire inside of her. “Of course, Zelda, now how about something to drink?”

“I would love that.”

\---

A week was given to rest and mourn the loss of the many souls who died. Zelda and Link were kept at Lon Lon ranch, the tired pair tended to by the charity of the owners.

Link was familiar with the place, he had stayed here when he was a boy for a bit, and when he had come back, he’d saved them from a greedy businessman selling their stock to Ganon. 

It would make sense for him to have friends here. Zelda thought glumly. It was almost selfish of her to want what he had. For her time spent as a man, Sheik, the silent helper of the hero, Zelda rarely had the time to talk to anyone outside of Impa and passing travelers. Human connection outside of Link was non-existent. 

As soon as Link had woken up from a long long nap, he’d found her in the fields picking at the hem of her underdress. 

“How long was I asleep?”

“A day.” 

He sat down, leaning into the soft welcoming grass beneath him. “Good. I was worried it was another seven years.”

“No, you weren’t.” She laughed. “How did you sleep?”

“Peacefully.” He answered. “But what now?”

A million rupee question. 

What now?

Zelda sighed, “We rebuild I suppose.” Just thinking of reestablishing a monarchy made her head swim. “Impa is no longer with us, none of the sages are. We’ve lost leaders of almost every nation. Hyrule is crippled.” She admitted. “Ganon killed most of the counsel my father had, the few that survived might not want to return.”

She pondered what Impa would tell her to do, or what her father would say to her. “I was raised to be queen. But I don’t know what that’s like.” She thought back to the house she resided in Kakariko. “Is it even worth rebuilding the castle? Who will bring the people together?”

Link laid there, listening to her spill her problems onto him. Zelda knew he only knew of the politics of a great monarch, the Great Deku Tree, unless he was taught, simple politics would escape him. 

“I don’t know what to do.” She held her face in her hands, hoping that when she uncovered them that everything would be fine. “I don’t know what I’m doing now, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to. I’m not fit to lead a country.”

Link stayed silent, he shook his head as if he was thinking to himself. “I don’t know how to do anything.” He said plainly. “I’m good at swords.”

Of course, Link was still young. Zelda mentally kicked herself, how could she expect him, Link, who had only known the fey wild, to even understand what she was talking about.

He continued. “And I’m good at solving problems.”

“Are you now?” 

“Yeah, and I think I know how to do this.”

She felt her heart swell, of course Link would try to solve her problems. “Do you?”

“One step at a time.”

Zelda laughed, “You’re right.” She glanced out at the silhouette of the castle from the ranch. “One step at a time.”

\---

The answer came in the form of Tantus. She was an old woman that had been in Zelda’s father’s counsel. She had sought Zelda out, finding her at the Ranch only a few days after the beast was declared dead. 

Tantus was her father’s teacher. She had been to her father what Impa was to her. She had drilled court manners and what it means to be a king into the great man that had ruled Hyrule, and she offered to do the same for Zelda. 

Upon meeting her, Zelda had almost broken down into tears. Tantus was sent from Hylia she was sure. 

With the help of someone who remembered with clarity what life was like before Ganon’s rule, Zelda felt as if she were able to actually start. 

The small army had cleared castletown, that was the first step. The next step was getting people in there. Link and many others volunteered to help build up shops and move in people who had once lived there. 

Zelda with Tantus’ help, took that time to set up the bare bones of a monarchy. There were few survivors, but the ones that could be found were, to Zelda’s relief, grateful to help. 

The many other races in Hyrule were going under a very similar situation. Reaching out to them now, when they all were vulnerable, would be a great opportunity to build relationships between the tribes. 

The Gorons were happy to help with the rebuilding of Hyrule. They had hailed Darunia as their leader, but were much more grounded when it came to new people. They as a people were flexible and recovered the easiest out of all of them. 

There was a Goron named Link, he and Link were friends.

Link with his limited knowledge of what was to be done, took charge with helping the people settle. Whether moving someone's furniture into their new room in Castletown, to watching the children as their parents made food for the army. 

The army was a strange company. Completely voluntary and full of rag tag people from across the country. Zelda herself was surprised to see a few of the fey children in it holding sharpened sticks and slingshots. Link was ecstatic to see them of course. He must have known them all personally. 

If things were to continue as they were, Zelda might consider keeping the structure of a voluntary army. Not that it hadn’t been before, but many knights were born into their position because of their fathers, and no other position was available to them because of it. It might be the first thing to go, she mused. 

\---

The Temple of Time. The insides were still adorned with pure white marble and light streaming through the stained glass windows. It was the only place that Ganon hadn’t corrupted, Zelda remembered staying here often, waiting for the day Link would run out of the chamber. 

They both stood in the chamber now, Link held the master sword in one hand, staring at the pedestal where he was supposed to place it. They had come there with the purpose of returning it, there was no need for it now that Ganon was dead. 

Link hesitated, he took a few steps forward before pausing and looking behind him to check if Zelda was still there. 

“Is something wrong?” She asked as he turned back to the sword. 

“No, I don’t think so.” He started. “Maybe.”

“What is it?”

“The sword.” He held it up to his chest, the light bouncing off the blade and reflecting it across his chest and legs. “You knew- you knew that I used this to go back right?”

“You’re scared that it’ll take you back again?” She guessed. 

He nodded. “It’s stupid, It really shouldn’t be something I worry about.”

“You’re allowed to worry about the stupid things Link.” Zelda approached him, laying a hand on the forearm that held the sword. She gently pushed until the blade pointed towards the ground again. “I’ll hold onto you if you’d like. That way, if you do go back, I come with you.”

He smiled, “I’m not sure that’s how it works.”

“Do you know that’s not how it works?”

“No?”

“Then let's get that sword back where it belongs, and deal with whatever comes next together.”

“I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

Zelda laughed lightly, “I feel that you’ll like me more when that sword is away and safe.”

Together they slid the blade back into the pedestal. For a moment, Zelda felt a wave of magic and she imagined returning home, back to where it all began, in the garden with the birds singing in the garden. 

But the wave was nothing more than the master sword being sealed. In the end both she and Link were still in the Temple of Time, and nothing had changed. 

“That wasn’t so bad.” Link mused. “But I’m not touching that thing again.”

“No one will force you, now let’s get out of here.” She took him by the hand and they retraced their steps out of the temple.

\---

It was a breezy night in Castletown. It had been a few months, lights were strung up between tall poles for the to illuminate the path of nightly wanderers such as them. 

The fountain was gone, replaced by nothing yet, but there was so much damage done to it that trying to clean it up would have been a lost cause. 

Zelda strolled alongside Link, their hands intertwined and they each pointed out random things they saw. 

“I helped Judas raise the front of that house.” Link said, raising their hands towards one of the smaller houses down the street. “More like Judas helped me, he could barely lift a single plank.”

“He’s young, isn’t he?”

“He’s older than me by a few months.” Link answered. “I think he’s seventeen next december.”

“And you are?”

He shrugged. “My birthday was always put around the winter solstice. It was around the time that the Kokiri found me. Or found my mom I think.” He rarely spoke of his home or the children that raised him, Zelda listened to him as he continued. “Going by that, roughly sixteen? Seventeen maybe?”

So young they were. Sometimes it scared Zelda to remember that she herself was only eighteen years old. They were all barely out of childhood.

“But inside you are?” She prompted.

“Inside?” He raised an eyebrow. “Oh you mean- well it’s hard to tell.”

“How so?”

“I was nine-ish when I left the forest and met you for the first time. When I picked up the sword and all that. But Navi said that I’m not young anymore.”

He’d seen the shadow temple, the depths of graveyards hidden beneath Hyrule’s castles. He’d trekked through active volcanos and hidden mansions filled with things so badly wanted him to die, there was no argument when it came to his nativity. That might as well have been kissed goodbye when he left the forest. 

He was young, but not naive, Zelda knew that he should be treated like an adult, if anyone had a problem with that, then they could talk to her. 

“Tantus insists that I establish a council.” She changed the subject. “Not one like my father, this one would include members of the different branches of Hyrule. Hopefully this time we could create a Hyrule focused on helping the country, not just our people.”

“That’s a noble goal.”

“She asked that I make a journey around the country to ask the help of everyone. Make connections, network if you will.” She explained. “I was wondering, Link, if you would like to come with me?”

“Me?” He even pointed to himself when he asked. 

“You’ve been everywhere. You’re already twice the hero to the Gorons, and the Zora think of you fondly. I know you spent time with the Gerudo, and seeing that you’re still here that means you earned their favor, not an easy task. Besides,” She pulled him to her and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. “I would enjoy your company.”

Link opened his mouth, slack jawed. “I’d be honored.”

“You have no desire to stay here and help the army or keep rebuilding?”

“And let the princess run off? By the heavens, I could never.” He joked. “You could use all the help you could get.”

“You’re such a joy.” She rolled her eyes. “You always have such the highest opinion of me don’t you?”

“I have nothing but the highest level of respect for you, Princess. I believe you can do anything.”

“Like go off on my own?”

“No.” He grabbed her hand again. ”You did that too much. I gotta come with you now.”

She smiled at his words. “I suppose.”

\---

The castle was easily rebuilt. After everything else was touched up of course. 

It was at the very bottom of the list of things to do. The needs of the people had to be met before they could even look towards rebuilding the more luxurious things in life. In the meantime Zelda had stayed in Castletown, and Link- well wherever that would take him. Goron City welcomed him, she'd heard. 

That at least would explain the tattoos she saw on him the next time they met. He’d excitedly peeled off his shirt in the middle of the living room and showed her all the black fairies and trees the Gorons were able to put there. 

It stretched from his left shoulder blade to his bicep. It almost reminded her of a one sided pauldron. He was excited about and all Zelda did was smile and coo at the detail. It truly was masterful, the Gorons were great craftsmen and that extended to their artwork on their body as well. They could be as delicate on Hylian skin as they could their own leatherlike flesh. It was impressive. 

But a part of her disagreed with the fact that he didn’t consult her first. Some part of her argued that she should have had a say but, who was she to judge. 

Zelda herself had the singular eye of the Sheikak on her thigh. Impa had ‘branded’ her when she was only thirteen. It was to signify that she truly was a member of the Sheikah, now it served to prove that she hadn’t been imagining those years spent as another person. Sheik. 

She almost missed him. 

At least she kept the benefits. 

\---

The castle was finally habitable years later after construction. Zelda was twenty when she was allowed to walk the halls without permission or a construction worker escorting her. 

The place was truly grand. It couldn’t compare to the grandeur that she had seen before the place had been brought to the ground. There was more cleaning to do, and ‘replacing the curtains’ then actual rebuilding of walls. But the fact that her own people volunteered to do this for her made it worth much more than the finest marble and the softest of silks.

It really had been years. She and Link spoke when they could, but he had taken a somewhat official position as leader of the makeshift guard. He had no fancy clothing or medals or even an official title. But most of the people here had seen him wield the Master Sword, there was little debate on whether he was up to the task or not.

She invited Link to live in the castle. There plenty of room and it truly was bigger than any other building around. He accepted quickly, excited to ‘see the castle for the first time.’ Zelda was reminded that he had only seen the castle when it was under Ganon’s control. What a great first impression that must have been.

She took great pride in taking him by the arm and leading him around the palace. His hair was longer than it had ever been, a ever present smile on his face. He eagerly nodded at whatever she brought up and despite being her age, Zelda got the uncanny feeling she was still speaking to a teenager. 

“ _ It’s because you are _ .” A little nagging voice in her told her. “ _ Stripped from his childhood by a princess that was too selfish to let him choose. _ ”

”Shut up.” She told the voice. It was true, she could have sent him back if he wished, but he was so tired. Zelda wasn’t sure she could toss him away after what he had seen and done for her.

_ “He would have been happier.” _

Maybe, Maybe not. Zelda knew she would lose sleep over this, but when Link blushed like a bright flower whenever they held hands, or goddesses above, kissed each other lightly, she couldn’t help but laugh at them. 

He was tentative and sweet. Zelda couldn’t have asked for more. 

\---

When, after a year spent together in the palace, Link asked if she could stay by his side forever, in sickness and in health, for love or for faith, Zelda said no.

Not out of some noble duty to marry royalty, never because of that. 

But because he was still young. Young at heart and mind. 

She’d kissed his forehead gently and asked him to wait two more years. Two more years and she would say yes within a heartbeat.

Link had agreed. He then asked for her blessing to travel once more around Hyrule, helping others and killing monsters and the like. Navi told him she wanted to see more of the world and if he couldn’t have her hand in marriage just yet, then hopefully he would be able to make the other women in his life happy for a while.

Zelda laughed and said that he didn’t need her permission to do so, but gave him a blessing all the same.

And just like that he was gone. He came in and out as a traveler would, only briefly stopping by to say hello before he was gone again in the blink of an eye.

Zelda spent most of her time trying to remember how the old kingdom functioned, and what would need to change in order to fit better into the more militarized nature of the people. Tantus helped of course. The old woman was most adept in her writing of treaties with other nations and laws for the new land.

Two years later, maybe down to the second, Zelda wasn’t sure. Link appeared at her door once more and asked. 

She’d laughed so hard she almost cried. He was too good for her.

She said yes and Tantus was asked to begin the preparations for the most humble royal wedding Hyrule had ever seen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note about Biology for a second. I might have saved this for a later chapter note but it's been on my mind.
> 
> During the ages of roughly 10-14 is when your brain develops the ability to self criticize, and to hate itself. That's why a lot of kids don't understand why something they did was wrong, or they don't understand that something they drew wasn't good. It's cause mentally wise it's harder for them to understand.
> 
> So in the case of Age, he's gone from having the under developed brain of a 9 year old to the brain of a 16 year old. That's not something you get used to anytime soon. Age was suddenly given the ability to hate himself/self criticize but he literally has no idea how to use it, seeing how he skipped the teenage angst crash course. So to cope with this, he just doesn't. He can realize what he did was bad, but remorse and understanding is going to take a lot of time for him. Not that he's mean spirited by any means. But it's a mental block.
> 
> and on the FLIP SIDE we have Time who spent anywhere between an extra year a couple dozen years between the ages of 10-13 (you're call since his age in MM was never canonized.) So not only has he had a crash course in teen angst. He is well acquainted with it. Practically a master of his art. Mentally he was trapped as an emotionally growing boy with no escape, and while he has grown older, you don't really unlearn self hatred/criticism to that degree.
> 
> and that concludes my essay for their characterization for at least the next few arcs lol.


	3. Chapter 2 - Thirteen Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thirteen years later and the kid is now a married man! What is he up to exactly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 12/28/2020
> 
> Happy Christmas, have Age development
> 
> Shoutout to Script for being my beta reader. You add a lot of comma's my dude

Link skid across the ground as he rounded a corner at top speed. The marble provided no traction and his body almost went flying. 

“Sire!” A young boy yelled from behind him. “Please stop running!”

“Absolutely not!” Link picked himself off the floor and continued to run from the boy. He spotted a window and made a split second decision. Jumping it was.

The boy chased after him. His chest was heaving as he ran down the hall as well.“Sire!” In his arms was a large fluffy white cat. He gasped as he saw Link disappear from the window. “Your Highness!”

He ran to the window, careful not to disturb the cat more than he had. “Are you alright?”

Link rolled from the bushes not ten feet below and gave the boy a thumbs up. “Don’t worry, Joseph! I’m fine!”

“That’s good! But the Queen still needs you to look after Stephanie!” Joseph exclaimed as he held Stephanie, the aforementioned cat, higher for Link to see. 

“No!” The king shouted back. “You do it!”

“I have training in a few minutes!” 

“I’m not touching her!”

“Then I’ll leave her here!”

“Do that! I’ll have someone else take care of her.” 

Joseph regarded him then gently set Stephanie on the balcony. The feline glared at Link, who in turn stuck his tongue out. 

Link exited the garden, tapping the gardener’s youngest daughter on the way out. He told her that the cat on the balcony needed company. She was happy to run along and keep Steph company. 

It’s not that Link didn’t love the cat with all his heart, he just really didn’t want to deal with allergies at the moment. Dumb cats being so cute, but also semi-deadly. Zelda had probably instructed Joseph to give him Steph because she was busy and the little furball was sitting on her papers, but Link also had something to do. 

That _thing_ being picking something up at the blacksmith’s. 

He shed his outer coat and gloves, leaving them near the giant room that was the entrance to the castle. It was made for winter coats and wet boots, but spare cloaks could also find shelter there when Link didn’t feel like walking all the way back to his room. It was on the fourth floor anyway. Who designed that?

He snuck through the path that went to the castle to the town. The very few guards didn’t need to see him making his way down there anyway, it wasn’t their business. 

Link dropped from atop the gates, passing the vines that lead to the secret path. The ones where roughly twenty years ago Malon had given him an egg to wake her father up. 

He tore his gaze from the vines. Maybe she would be in the market today? It had been a while since the two had gone out for a drink. He was an absolute lightweight but she didn't mind letting him sip his drinks as she slammed hers down like it was her job. 

The inner section of Castle Town was as busy as one could expect on a bright Saturday morning. The many shops had woken up and were in full swing. The twins juggled for all to see as they gossiped with one another. 

But Link's eyes were set on a certain shop near the back. Its glossed wood shone in the sun like a beacon. "Peter's Pewter and Smithy" the shop sign read. He grinned and forced his way through the swinging door. 

The inside of the shop was no more grand than the outside. Smoothed floors held tables and shelves stacked with silver work and, you guessed it, pewter utensils. Pots, pans, silverware, and many other trinkets one would take a fancy too. 

At the very back was a desk, a door to the back, and a small rope and sign hanging from the ceiling that read "Ring for Service."

Link ignored the sign. "Peter!" He called. "I know you're in there, you bastard."

A loud laugh was heard through the door and it was pushed open. 

Peter was a lean man, much taller than Link with muscles to match. He had a clipped beard and hair. He was younger than him, just by a couple of years. Soot smudged his face and arms, he wore a simple apron and trousers. "Link!" He greeted. "Haven't seen your sorry hide in months. Where have you been?"

Link waved him off. "I'm a busy man, Peter."

"Oh, I see." Peter gave him a mock bow. "Where have you been, your Highness."

"See _that's_ , more like it." Link chuckled. "I've been sitting on pins and needles. You want to know why?"

Peter put a mock hand to his chin. "Oh, I'm not sure. It couldn't have anything to do with the order you asked me to complete for you the last time I saw you?"

Link rolled his eyes. "What? No, i just really wanted a new fork- Yes, yes it's that."

Peter snorted. "Tactful."

"Gimme."

The taller man grinned, "Follow me then." He grabbed Link's arm and dragged him back.

Peter and Link had known each other for a very long time. Peter had been one of the few people who had been in Hyrule's ragtag army right after Ganon had died. It had been how they first met. Link had been introduced as the hero, and Peter being fifteen at the time had sought him out in an attempt to understand how someone as young as him could be "such a great swordsmen." Link had gladly taught him the rough basics and they had been friends since. Even when Peter had told him that he was leaving the army to pursue his fathers work as a blacksmith. Link had been the one to supply the necessary money to get the shop up and running. The name was his idea actually.

Peter pulled him to the back, the heat and smoke immediately seeping into his lungs.

Link coughed, covering his nose and mouth as he glanced around the forge. "I'm telling you, you need to get more windows in here." His voice was muffled by his sleeve.

"You sound like my husband." Peter replied. "I'll get to it at some point."

"You'd do well to listen to Malachi."

Peter shook his head. "It's you court types, I swear."

Malachi was Peter's husband. The two of them had met in the ragtag army as well, but unlike Peter, Malachi was still in the newly reformed army. He stood as Link's left hand and while the two weren't as close as him and Peter, they held a respect for one another. On the battlefield, as well as matters of the court.

"Court types?" Link raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean." Peter shuffled around a few things at the top of a built-in shelf. "Worried about health and that."

"That's now a concern for the rich?"

"You know what I mean, Link. Now do you want this or not?" Peter pulled something from the shelf wrapped in cotton and held it out to him. 

Link gasped and swiped it from his hands. "Yes, I want it."

He took himself out of the forge and into the main room again. On the desk he dropped the package and unwrapped it.

A gold pocket watch shined on the table. He could hear the faint ticking as the thin spindly black hands pointed at the numerals and spun across the face. The chain holding the watch tight was smooth and rust free. "It looks perfect." He breathed.

"That's what I was hoping for." Peter commented. "I had to completely remake the chain and the glass face. I'm not sure what the original metal is, Gold I guessed, but the touch-ups I made with Gerudo iron. You can hardly tell the difference color-wise, that might help it keep shape for longer."

Link gave a low whistle. "How long did this take you?"

Peter shrugged, putting his hands on his hips. "It's been a running project. You gave it to me a few months ago and I've been working on it on and off. I'm not great at the small mechanics. Had to take it to a few other people. I really only finished it a week ago."

Link nodded absentmindedly. His focus was still trained on the watch. "Malachi told me last night." It had been after a council meeting that Malachi had passed along the message. He glanced at Peter. "You had to take this to others? I'll have to compensate you for that."

"Yes, please. Clock makers aren't cheap." Peter sighed. "But you never told me what this was? It's yours, isn't it?"

"Mine?" He shook his head. "No. It was King Daphnes’, Zelda's father."

"Really?"

"I found it recently. Tantus was the one to point it out to me. I wanted it restored." He winked at Peter. "You were the most qualified man for the job."

"To restore the king's pocket watch? I wouldn't have done that if I were you."

"Nonsense." Link wrapped it back in the cotton. "It's more than perfect."

"What do you plan to do with it?"

"Zelda's birthday is in a few months. I'm glad this was ready before then."

Peter huffed. "I worked on the queen's birthday present. And you didn't even tell me."

Link smacked his arm lightly. "You've met Zel plenty of times. Quit acting like she's a goddess."

"What, you think your own wife isn't a goddess among women?"

"Oh no, she is most definitely the best woman to ever exist, she just doesn't like it when everyone treats her like it."

"Ah, I see." Peter smiled. "Go back to your goddess of a wife then. Leave me here to rot." He said sarcastically.

"Gladly." Link gave him another round of thanks and another pouch of rupees for his hard work before exiting the shop. 

The sun still shone brightly in the sky. It wasn't that late when Link had left for the castle. There was still plenty of daylight to burn before he was expected to be home.

\---

The shops called his name, and who was a king to refuse his people? Link dropped in and out of every shop that caught his fancy. A few people recognized him, most did actually. He was a popular guy around here.

The kids liked to chase him around, so did the dogs. Link welcomed it, letting the children tail him as he purposefully dodged them in alleyways and street stalls. Careful not to drag them too far away from the plaza.

By the time it had reached early afternoon, Link was ready to leave, but he could certainly do with a drink first..

He entered into the Maple Sprout. His favorite drinking spot, and general hangout place. The family staff knew him personally and treated him like royalty (In the figurative, friendly way. Not stiffly and with fake niceties.)

"Link!" Sara called to him. She was an aging woman of fifty-six, but her attitude rivaled that of most teens. "It's hardly past three! What are you doing here, boy?"

Link laughed and waved her off. "I'm here for a bite to eat."

She glanced around him. "No one here with you?"

"Not today Sara." He assured her. "No drinking contests today."

She grimaced. "Not like it's ever a contest. What can I get you?" She changed the subject as Link sat at the bar.

"Flatbread, whatever’s on the house, and the wine you have, you know, where it's more water then actual juice?"

Sara scowled. "That wine would get you piss drunk."

"Not if you add more water to it then you already do."

"Keep going on like that and I'll ask my daughter to take you out."

"Maria? I know of a few knights that would gladly take her out for a night."

"She'll have your head for that Link."

"She can have the knight's head." He mumbled.

Sara clapped him on the ear. "I'll admit I walked in on that one, but don't say that around Maria you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Sara, loud and clear."

Link was given his food, and Sara left to attend the few other patrons that had wandered in looking for a late lunch.

He was a couple of bites in when he heard loud chatter from a populated table behind him.

"A wild beast! Covered in the night itself." A man proclaimed. Swinging his cup around for emphasis. "It came from nowhere and trampled the eastern fortress."

"The east?" Another curious man asked from the table. "That's the wilderness next to Zora's Domain?"

"Exactly. The one blocked off by all those rivers."

"But the eastern fortress is well guarded."

"That's my point! They were ambushed in the night! It was stronger than anything they'd ever seen."

Link had long set down his drink, and was fully listening in on this conversation. An unknown beast? Something strong enough to bring down a fortress? This sounded like his area of expertise. 

"If they were ambushed like you say," Another man pointed out. "Why was your cousin well enough to send you this letter?"

"They were saved! Some good men they'd never seen before arrived in time to drive him off."

"Knights?"

"No!" He slammed his cup down. "Most of 'em weren't even using armor! They even had a kid with them! Most of them were barely even adults!"

Link paused. "A child?" He spoke aloud, just loud enough for the table to hear him.

"You there? Are you listening in?" The man called. "Take a seat and I'll tell you all about it." 

Link gladly took his offer and seated himself directly next to the avid storyteller. "Tell me more about this beast. Dark as night you say?"

The man, Link later discovered his name was Curtis, lit up and excitedly repeated his story.

He had a cousin that worked in the eastern fortress. A place where Hylian soldiers and the Zora kept tabs on the border. She had written to him earlier and regaled to him the events of the night before. Where monsters unheard of had spilled from the forest in the middle of the night. One of them being a great black beast that took the form of a rather large and ugly lizalfos. 

With an ambush and no preparation, they were driven to the bone before their "saviors" showed their faces. Nine men, ranging from Link's age and lower had come from the same direction of the beast and to quote Curtis "kicked everyone's collective asses."

"Were they really children?" Link questioned.

"Half of them were younger than I. One of them, she said he couldn't be more then fifteen. Came up to her waist she said."

"And he wore no armor?"

"Only two of 'em. The rest were wearing travelers clothes and the likes. She wasn't too detailed you see."

Link tuned him out as he went back to describing the seemingly bloody battle. Monsters, strangers from the east, could this be a failed attack from Calatia? The kingdom of Calatia was east of Hyrule, far away enough that they had barely felt the reign of Ganondorf, and had only recently taken an interest in their politics. 

But Calatia wasn't a threat was it? What was this about monsters unheard of by man? Most people remembered the monsters that roamed the fields of Hyrule, if this was true, then migration might have to be taken into account. There were a lot of options for Link to think of and he didn't enjoy dwelling on any of them.

He stood up, thanking the gentlemen for their time and asking for the name of the cousin that gave this information to him. Tossing a few rupees on the bar he called out his exit to Sara who yelled at him to leave.

Link did take the main path. No guard really took notice of him, chances were they didn't care, or were tired enough to not recognize him. Either option was more than fine with Link however.

He crossed over the moat, greeted whatever staff he saw in the main entrance. Most paid him no mind, the few that did gave a quick bow before continuing on with their work. 

Joseph was the first to take hold of him on sight. "Sire! Where have you been?" He ran up to Link and began to pull on his arm. 

"I've been in town, picking something up from Peter's."

"Yes, sire, but the Queen has asked me about you three times already! I've been searching for you everywhere."

"Zelda? Is there a meeting I was unaware of?"

"No, but she said she needed to speak with you, and that I should get you in her office as soon as I could." He gave a harsher tug before giving up. "I think she's still in her office, sire. If you could just pay her a visit."

"I think I can manage, Joseph. Thank you for telling me as soon as you could."

Joseph sighed and gladly started walking away before he paused. "And, sire, her Highness asks that you let her know before you disappear. Or at least run off."

"Will do Joseph."

"Thank you, sire. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You as well."

\---

"Knock, knock." He spoke to an oak door.

He heard a sigh from the other side. "Come in, Link."

Link gently pushed it aside, Zelda's office had many chairs set around the fireplace. The fireplace was lit, casting a dark shadow on half the room. His wife, Queen Zelda of Hyrule, sat not in a chair by the fireplace, but behind her large desk piled with books. She clutched a paper in one hand and a quill in the other. 

Link let his shoulders drop, he swiftly crossed the room and knelt enough to be eye level with his wife. He reached to brush the hair strayed across her face and kissed her forehead. "How is Hyrule?" He asked.

"As busy and full of people as always." She gave him a weak smile. "How was your day?"

He stood up, pulling her with him. "Eventful. I went to town." He guided her to the only couch. 

"I heard." Zelda pushed her face into his shoulder as soon as they sat down. "I also heard that you neglected Stephanie." 

"Eh, well I wasn't going to walk into Peter's forge with a head cold." He replied. "Malachi can't convince him to get more windows in that place."

"You visited Peter? How is he?"

"Fine as always. I only realized there how long it's been since we've had a night out." He absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair. "But what about you? For a moment I thought I had missed a council meeting." 

Zelda groaned. "I got a letter today. It was sent from the east-"

"The eastern fortress?" Link took a wild guess. 

"Yes. I'm assuming you've heard of the commotion there?"

"Only by word of mouth. Someone sent their cousin a strangely detailed letter recounting the events. He was happy to tell me everything."

He felt Zelda relax under his hands. "I'm glad I don't have to explain it then."

"No," he chuckled. "I'm quite resourceful."

"I'm glad. What do you think of it then? Did you also think of Calatia?"

"I'll admit it, yes. But Calatia wouldn't try that, especially since we are on such shaky ground with them. Unless they wanted us to suspect them, there was no reason they should have done this."

"What else then? Wild monsters? And what about the blonde soldiers that look like you of all people."

"What?" That was a bit of new information. "Look like me, what do you mean?"

"The first thought that you were among them. But Captain Runfell confirmed that he was simply a look alike."

"That-" He trailed off. "That raised a lot of questions."

"A pitch black monster, someone who looks like you," Zelda wondered aloud. "You never did kill your shadow did you?"

Link groaned. "I really don't like whatever you're suggesting."

"I'm not saying anything. But for now it seems that the people who helped were friendly."

Link leaned his head back on the couch, resting it as he gazed at the ceiling. "What would you have me do, my Queen?"

"I'd rather you stay by my side and tell me everything's alright." She whispered.

"I'll do just that-"

"But I know you know more about monsters than even I."

Link sighed. "I can ride out tomorrow."

"I don't want to send you away."

"Then I'll call it a personal journey of self discovery." He quipped. "Whether it's months or a few days, it's not like I haven't been gone for longer."

She squeezed his knee, "I don't like you gone for more than a month. You know that."

"And that's while I'll return alive and well before the week is up."

"Something about this makes me doubt that."

"What, me coming back alive, or taking more than a week?"

Zelda didn't answer, and Link knew better to press his wife for answers. He thought about the pocket watch that was now sitting in the desk of his own, much smaller office.

"I'll be fine." He said halfheartedly. "Just you see."

\---

The next morning, just as promised, Joseph aided Link in getting his horse suited up for a long journey. The boy, by title, was his squire, but he and Link talked more like brothers than anything. The fourteen year old boy was apprenticed out by his family in order to become a classically trained knight, the first of its kind after the fall of Hyrule killed all the previous ones. Maybe even nobility if it was possible.

Kaise, the horse Link specifically took out for longer journeys, was glad to stretch his legs and leave the stable. Link used to ride Epona, the mare serving him faithfully throughout most of his teen years. But she had grown older. Kaise was one of her many colts however. He had her personality as well. 

He had bid goodbye to Zelda that morning, her giving him a swift kiss and pressing a letter into his hands. The letter would grant him access to anywhere in Hyrule if his claims to be the king didn't work. 

Now dressed in his riding clothes, a simple blue cloak, a sturdy sword and shield made by his favorite blacksmith (Peter, of course), and packing enough dried food to last him a few weeks, Link rode out of Castle Town and Hyrule, heading quickly to the eastern fortress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up liking Peter way more then I should. And like, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, like Script said when beta reading this. "Age and Peter have Two hands" They really do tho . . . . ..


	4. Chapter 3 - Finding a group

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link heads to the eastern fortress/ east post and meets some interesting characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyday I stray further from god.

If one travelled by the river, and strictly stuck by it until given no other option, the eastern fortress wasn’t too far off. 

The official name of the fortress was East Post. And in truth it was more of a post then a fortress. Unlike the forest temple hidden deep within the lost woods, or the Gerudo Fortress carved into sandstone and fashioned with iron, this outpost or ‘fortress’ was many smaller buildings made of sturdy wood and brick. It resembled a small town, except ever resident had a weapon and was constantly on guard. 

Link had been to the fortress a few times already. Agreements had to be made with the Zora on river boundaries, and as much as it would have been convenient, the Zora royalty wasn’t keen on making the trip to Hyrule Castle. 

After the sages had passed, reforging bonds with all the people on the land had been much harder. Avail of the Gerudo had the decency to remember him at least, as well as the Goron’s who remembered him saving their people from the fire temple. The Kokiri never cared much for politics in the first place, but even they knew Link. 

Relating to the Zora, King Zora had died a month after Hyrule was freed. And there was no Princess Ruto to confirm treaties. The Zora monarchy was thrown to the ground and trying to keep the peace with them was difficult when they themselves didn’t know who exactly was the king or not. 

Unlike past visits, there was no warm welcome or anyone waiting to greet him. That was expected, seeing as no one had been informed he was making his way here. 

Kaise was nudged to the stables, a small barn built next to the main building. Link was competent enough to put Kaise to rest without help. He pet his coat down before making his way outside and greeting the few he saw pass. 

There were many people that stopped to greet him on the way in. Soldiers ferrying supplies from building to building, some of them walked with a limp. The few that stopped to talk to him recognized him as an outsider, but not as the king it would seem. 

“Would Captain Runfell be available?” He asked after pleasantries. “I came here to talk with him about the attack that I was told happened a few days ago.”

“The captain?” The soldier named James echoed. “He should be speaking with a few people at the moment.”

Link remembered the strangers that had assisted in the attack. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the ambush that came in the night would it?”

“It would.” He regarded him with some degree of contempt. “But we’ve only sent word of it to the castle. How would you know of such a thing?”

“I’m from the palace.” He explained. 

“From the palace? You’re not the-” realization dawned on him. “Your Majesty!” The other soldier with him, who had just been a bystander until now, gasped. The two of them attempted to bow but Link hurrdily assured them that it wasn’t at all necessary. 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you.” James apologized. “I can take you to Runfell right now, sir.”

“You said he was in a meeting didn’t you? I would hate to intrude.” James didn’t hear him, and promptly led him in the direction of the small meeting house just at the back of the fortress.

“There aren't any visiting royalty besides you. But seeing as you  _ are  _ the king of Hyrule I hardly doubt that Runfell will mind.” 

Link was mentally protesting against this, just because he was the king didn’t mean he held any more power than Zelda did. He really was more of a prince consort, or commander of the guard, or something along those lines. King was really an empty title on him. 

James kept up ahead of him. Upon reaching the door he knocked and announced his presence. “Captain? This is James.”

A gruff but familiar voice of Runfell was heard through the door. “James? What brings you here, I told you I was busy.”

“I’m aware, sir, but it’s the king.”

Some sputtering was heard before the door was rought open by a stout man bearing a truly impressive mustache. “The king? What of him?”

James took the moment to grab Link and present him. “He arrived only a few moments ago.”

Something in Link screamed that he could probably have avoided this all, and technically James shouldn’t grab him like that, but Runfell gave way to a fit of coughs at the sight of him.

“Your Highness! What a surprise.” Why was it always a surprise to see him? “Come, come in. You might as well be a part of this.” He ushered Link aside, and much to Link’s dismay, the room was indeed full of people.

There was a rectangular table filled with chairs, on top of it were maps of Hyrule and various roads. And  _ around  _ the table were a lot more people then Link was expecting there to be.

And they were all staring at him. 

Runfell was impervious to the staring, and lumbered around the table until he rested again at the front. “Gentlemen.” He addressed them. “As I had told you all earlier, we had sent a letter to the palace just a few days ago. We didn’t request backup but I assumed that someone would be sent. And as luck would have it, the King himself is here to grace us with his presence.”

Link cringed at the introduction. “Hi, everyone.” He gave a small awkward wave, eyes flitted between the various blond heads, most plastered with surprise. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything, but I just got here a few minutes ago and-” He trailed off, looking at one of the men sitting closer to Runfell.

He was blond, a strong chin, one of his eyes were scarred over and markings painted the right side of his face. 

But it was unmistakably  _ him _ . 

By no means did Link want to be rude. But his exact copy was also staring at him, face firmly stuck in a look of contemplation. His mind was running wild. Who was this person that looked exactly like him? These have to be the young men that helped with the ambush, what were they still doing here? Why exactly did one of them look like a long lost brother? Did he even have brothers? Panic filled him as he desperately recalled what he knew of his late parents and the Hyrullian civil war. It was plausible that he had a sibling all along but surely if he had something so significant as an identical twin, the prophecies would have mentioned as such, but-

“Are you alright?” One of the men, no, he was a boy, looked up at him expectantly. His hair was bright and he wore a blue tunic with an intriguing lobster pattern on it. 

Link spared him a glance. “Uh-” He managed to say. “Hi.” 

His diplomacy skills were on  _ point  _ today.

The boy raised an eyebrow, then took a glance between him and his copy. His eyes lit up in some sort of understanding. “No way.” He breathed excitedly. 

“You said you were in the middle of a meeting?” Link finally said. “Please don’t let me stop you,” he quickly counted in his head the amount of people in the room. “You ten. Do go on.”

“For the love of Hylia, please tell me he’s actually not this fucking awkward.” It was one of the young men. The one with completely pink hair. He was glaring at Link with a single eyebrow raised. 

That seemed to snap Link out of it. He straightened his back defiantly and fixed the boy with a pointed look. “That was rude.” 

“Well the point wasn’t to be welcoming.” The young man rolled his eyes. 

Runfell, who was gripping the sides of his chair nervously glanced between all of them. “Young man, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t address the king as such.”

Link shook his head. “No, It doesn’t matter.” Trying his best to ignore his clone, Link took a seat. “I’ve heard that you were the group that appeared as soon as the ambush took place. I was asked to gather more information.”

“Like what?” Runfell prompted.

“The possibility of Calatian intervention, or Hylia forbid the thought, causation.”

His clone raised his eyebrow. “How much have you heard?” Dear Hylia, he sounded exactly like Link as well. 

“A nightly ambush. A monster almost like a lizalfos leading the charge.” Link tried to recall what he had read in the initial letter. “Pitch black, scarily intelligent. And,” his gaze swept across them. “Never before seen strangers providing a helping hand, one of them,” He eyed his clone, “Being mistaken for myself on multiple accounts.”

“Is that so?  _ I _ certainly see the resemblance.” His clone remarked.

“It’s like looking in a mirror.” Link breathed.

“I find myself deeply curious as to how this could happen..”

“As do I.” 

“Now if you two are done with your whole ‘weird eye contact thing,’ I really want to get out of this place.” The young man with pink hair sighed. “I mean seriously. The captain here had been interrogating us for like an hour. You can hardly call this a meeting. I’m so bored I’m almost glad you showed up. It checks another thing off the bucket list.”

“Bucket list?” Link repeated. “Am I wrong in assuming you all have more information then I do on what’s going on?”

“Damn right we do, just this captain is too thick to let us talk.”

“Legend.” His clone warned. “You're a guest here, keep your mouth shut.”

Legend? What an odd name.

“Runfell, it seems there are things I’d like to privately discuss with these guests you have. Could you leave the building for a second?”

“Of course, M’lord.” Runfell got up and bowed, wasting no time lumbering to the door. 

As soon as the door was shut, a quiet hush fell over them. 

No longer feeling like an awkward teenager, and more in control of his current situation, Link actually took the time to look at who was sitting around the table. There was his clone of course, and next to him was the pink haired man who had insulted him. But there was also a boy wrapped in pelts and nervously dodging any and all forms of eye contact. Another who looked similar to him, except he wore a cape and was readily looking at Link, almost excitedly. Another man, this one was the only one of them that was sensible enough to actually wear armor, he wore a bright blue scarf that was certainly eye catching. 

Those young men were, as he said, young men. Anywhere between the ages of twenty and thirty. But as Link turned his eyes to the rest of them, uncertainty crept in him as he saw the myriad of young, boyish faces. 

The boy in blue from earlier, he was by far the youngest of all of them. There was another in blue, his garish scars spreading across the side of his face, couldn’t miss him in a crowd that’s for sure. A boy with a green headband and feather earrings, intensely twiddling his thumbs. And last but not least, the plainest looking of the bunch, dressed in brown and green with freckles dashed across his cheeks. 

“As I’m sure you know by now,” He started. “My name is Link, I am the current high commander of the Hyrulian Army and Prince Consort to her lady, Queen Zelda.” He avoided using the word King. “But, what I’m more interested in, is who you all are.”

His clone spoke up first. “My name is also Link. But you might know me better as the Hero of Time.”

Link’s face dropped. His clone, also Link apparently, took notice. 

“That should be impossible.”

“Is it really?” The other Link asked. “I take it that that’s your title as well?”

You might have been able to hear a pin drop, if one did indeed have a pin to drop at that moment.

Link nodded, slowly, carefully. “Who are you?” He felt more curious than doubtful at this other Link’s claim.

“I’d tell you to take a seat, but it seems like you’re well prepared for a few more revelations at the moment.”

He nodded again. “Tell me everything.”

\---

Alright, maybe Link had underestimated what ‘everything’ really was.

Maybe an hour, okay maybe two or more, later, Link’s mind was racing while his legs screamed at him for staying in the same spot in his seat for so long. 

He sighed. “Dark Link, portals, timelines, and reincarnation of a hero, specifically me.” He tried to grasp the meaning of all those words lumped together.

“Take your time.” The plain one, Hyrule, was apparently what he was called, said. “It’ll take a few days to sink in”

“Sorry, just, what?” He expressed for what must have been the third time. 

At some point they had all gone down in a line and introduced themselves. And because nothing in life was easy, they all happened to be named Link. Thankfully though, they seemed to all be going by their titles, or some nickname that applied to them. 

There was, let’s see if he could remember them all. Twilight, Warriors, Wind, Hyrule, Legend, Wild, Sky, Four, and,  _ Time.  _

Time was him, he was Time, but not. Somehow. 

Honestly this was a better alternative to having a brother he never knew about.

“You, Time, are me, if I had been sent back in time after killing Ganon.” He tried to confirm. 

“I am.”

Link remembered the blood, the cobble grinding into the tips of his fingers, the relief that had been pumping through his veins alongside buckets of adrenaline. 

“That’s cruel.”

\---

“So now that we’re all getting to know each other and singing kumbaya and all that, can we leave now?” Legend pestered after some more, less heavy, conversation.

Link checked the candle that had been burning on the table. The flame was almost out in a puddle of its own wax. “Yes, forgive me. You all must be tired. I’m sorry for keeping you.”

“No,” Legend sighed. “I mean leave, for good.”

“I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

“Didn’t you hear what Time just said? We’re travelling around all the different Hyrule’s together, trying to find Dark Link, and along the way we collect more Link’s cause Hylia has a sick sense of humor.”

Link nodded, “I’m aware of that part. But I don’t think I could go along with you.”

“What?” Everyone else at the table shared similar looks of vague anxiety.

“I’m needed here. If this whole monster problem is as bad as it’s looking, then my duty as High Captain of the guard comes into play.”

Legend scoffed, “And Warriors leads an army as well, but you didn’t see him chicken out.”

Warriors, the one in question batted him on the arm. “Shut up.” He hissed. 

\---

They had dispersed after that. Link, to settle down in the visitors quarters, the others to the supply cabin where they had been camping out the last few nights. All very well, seeing as the visitors quarters weren’t used to holding more than three people and accompanying servants and animals. 

Runfell had approached them. Link had done his best to explain the most understandable tale of events. These men were here to help, they meant no harm, and hopefully Link would be able to convince them to follow him back to Castle Town, and hopefully to Zelda as well.

He turned into the room, setting his things down and properly unwinding from the long ride he had taken to get here. 

He pulled out a few pieces of parchment and his quill. First things first was to write to Zelda and update her. If he was able to convince them all to come with him then they would beat the letter on getting to the castle. But if his intuition was right, that would take a while. It was better to write a letter. 

Link bit his lip, and began to drag his pen across the surface. 

\---

Letter written now, Link had given the barest details concerning, well, everything really. Zelda might appreciate this situation more than him. If there was one thing that his wife specialized in, it was making sense of the unsensible. 

Nine men, all him in one way or another, one of them actually being him. That made him think now. 

Time was him. He’d grown up with Saria in the lost woods, got bullied by Mido for not having a fairy, met Navi, killed Ghoma, used the Ocarina of Time, and killed Ganon. 

But that’s where the similarities ended, and the questions arose. 

These people, who he knew absolutely nothing about, expected him to go with them on their quest to kill Dark Link.

It was tempting. He had left for adventures for less, much less in fact. One more trip into the great unknown would hardly be anything new. 

But this one was dangerous. Switching Hyrules would be a problem, communication with his wife and others would be harder. This adventure came with no guarantee of when he could be back. And if there were any similar attacks from monsters who also found these portals, him being absent would be a problem all on it’s own. 

_ It’s not like you’ve actually led an army into battle.  _ The voice in his mind badgered him. And it was right, the most he had done was lead small expeditions and hope for the best. 

Really, Malachi knew more about actual war then he did. Seeing as Link had always been focused on fighting monsters and clearing temples, not rallying an army.

The sun had fallen by now. Link was still lost in thought when there was a knock at the door. Shaken out of his stupor Link got up to answer it. 

It was Time, unsurprisingly. 

He wasn’t wearing the armor that Link had seen him in a few hours ago. He was dressed in a plain black turtleneck and trousers. Vaguely Link remembered he was still fully dressed. Cloak and everything. 

“May I come in?”

Link nodded absentmindedly, standing back and granting the other entrance. 

Time made his way, surveying the room as he did. There was a desk, a chair, a bed, a small dresser at the foot of said bed, and a window outlooking one of the many rivers. “Comfy.” He remarked.

“It’s made for royalty.” Link replied, almost sarcastically. “Though it reminds me more of my office.”

“You have a bed in your office?”

“According to my wife I don’t. And it’s staying that way.”

“Your own wife doesn’t know what your office looks like?”

Link grimaced. “Well my office is much more cluttered. Less of a joy to visit.”

“And you do paperwork there?”

“It doesn’t bother me as much.”

“I see, well I didn’t exactly come here to quiz you about your office.” He took a seat in the chair by the desk. Link sat on the bed. 

“I’m sure you would if given the chance.”

“Oh yes, trust me, I am deeply interested in your choices of interior design, but I’m more interested in the timeline.”

Link thought back to what was discussed previously. “You and I, right. Well it’s not like I know more than you.”

“I’m more curious about what happened. Why do you even exist?”

“Well that’s kind of a rude question.”

Time shook his head. “Sorry, I mean. As soon as I killed Ganon, I was asked if I wanted to go home and change everything. Stop it all before it happened.”

“Really?” Link imagined what that would have been like. To go back in time and warn Zelda, to kill Ganondorf before he killed the King, to change the timeline. Would he have gone back given the chance?

“Looking back, I think I would have stayed.” Time admitted.

“I was never given a choice like that. As soon as he was sealed away, Zelda took me to safety.” 

“I would have never guessed.” 

Link figited, taking notice of the one eye. “Based on your physical appearance, it doesn’t look like everything was all fine and dandy?”

“Well look at who’s asking the rude questions now, hm?” Time laughed before Link was able to slip in an apology. “I don’t mind.”

It was his own laugh he had just heard. 

Time continued talking. “No one remembered a thing except me.”

No one? “Not even Zelda?”

He was given a curt nod. “No one.”

“But Ganon-”

“Ganon was killed. I had the three sacred stones as well as the mark of the triforce with me, I testified against him and after a few years of trial and a lot of evidence digging, he was executed.” Time sighed, “Never did I imagine that I left a place behind. Let alone that someone was left behind as well.”

“Surprise?” Link offered. 

“It really has been. I guess this answers the question of who the sailor was really looking for.” 

At the blank expression on Link’s face, Time continued on. “The sailor, Wind. He spoke of the Hero of Time from his timeline. About the Hero killing Ganon and saving Hyrule.”

“But you thought you left this timeline behind.”

“I did. Nearly crushed his heart when I told him.”

“Then I am?”

“His biggest role model.”

Silence washed over them, Link was content to just sit there and try and process this. The plain one was right when he said it would take a couple of days. And with Time sitting right in front of him, it would probably take a couple of weeks at most.

Time broke the silence. “You look like me, if I had decided to stay twenty-six for the rest of my life.”

“ . . . Thanks?”

“Younger, at least- How old are you again?”

“Thirty, thirty one next november.”

“Mentally?”

Oh that’s right. If there were anyone that knew about his time traveling exploits other than Zelda, it would be him.

Link debated on lying, but he probably knew already. “Twenty-four.” He said cautiously. “You?”

“Also thirty, but much, much older.”

“Do I get a number?”

“Do you promise not to tell any of the boys? They’ve been guessing for a few months now. They’re making bets.”

“I was never one to gamble, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

Time chuckled, “I like you.”

\---

It was far past midnight when Time left the cabin. The sun was just barely beginning to show, and while you couldn't see it in the sky, you could feel its presence in the air. 

The supply cabin, as it was so tastefully called, was nestled deep in the trees. It was mostly bare when they arrived inside, a few cots in the corner and plenty of blankets. They openly welcomed sleeping in warm piles at this point. Anything was better than the cold ground. 

He pushed the door open as quietly as he could. He knew one of the boys would still be up, or would be waking up as soon as entered. 

Just as he suspected, it was Warriors awake. The blond was trying to gather his things piled around the edges of the room when the creak of the door caught his attention.

“What’s the verdict?” He asked in a whisper.

“He’s me. There’s no doubt.”

“Really.” It was more of a sigh then a question. 

Time nodded solemnly. 

“What does this mean for the timeline?”

“Nothing much really. His existence doesn’t really mean anything other than we now know there was another hero in this time.”

“But the sailor’s world-”

Time shushed him, glancing at Wind and the others who were still asleep on the floor. “If you want to keep talking, take it outside.”

“Don’t you need to sleep?”

Of all the times Time had stayed awake through the night, what was one more? “I’ll be fine.”

The two walked out of the cabin, they already knew that given time one of the resident soldiers would call them for a breakfast of oatmeal and bread, but neither of them were too keen on waiting. 

The two oldests of the group made their way to the very close by river and lakes. A perk of this place was that you were never very far from fish, or a place you could fish for fish anyway. 

“What’s the plan?” Warriors asked as soon as they were well away from the rest of humanity. “Resident asshole made a good point, do we make him come with us?”

Time sighed, he himself was putting off the question, either asking it to himself or the new Link. “I’m not sure.”

“We have enough people with us, I think. It’s not like we need exactly ten people to kill Dark Link.”

“But on the other hand-”

“On the other hand, fate put him in our path.” Warriors said. “We’re here specifically for reasons we don’t know. What if he’s our reason.”

“Then Hylia will work things out.”

They continued to fish. A few bass were caught, enough for Wild to skewer and roast for them in the later hours. They were running lower on supplies like honey and salt, not very important, but for their young cook, it was everything. 

“I wonder if they’ll let us buy supplies from them.” Warriors wondered out loud. “Or we get the king to pull a few strings and they just give it to us.”

Time whacked him on the head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont worry I'll catch up to the old plot at some point.


	5. Zelda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little update. Again from a Live Write form the LU discord server. Special thanks to Julia for being there when I write!

Queen Zelda the 5th paced the halls of her castle. It was a week after Link had left to visit the East Post. The ride there and back should only have been less then a week, five days at most. Not that Zelda was worried for her husband. He was a capable man after all. But he was also an idiot that tended to get lost so she worried nonetheless.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Hinnder, the squire boy Link had taken up personally. The child ran along the corridor before skidding to a halt before the queen.

"You're Majesty." He gasped, bent over. "You have a letter sent by the King." He handed her a slip of paper he clutched in his hand. "The maid said to bring it directly to you and no one else. Very important."

Zelda gently took the letter out of Hinnder's hands. "Thank you Hinnder, you are dismissed." The boy nodded and slipped away, back to the kitchens probably.

She made her way back to her study, partially for her letter opener, partially to have a place to sit while she might read something that would make her lower her head in shame. Zelda studied the letter. It was definitely Link's handwriting. It had her name on in, with the official mark of Hyrule off to the side. She carefully tore it open and read what lay inside.

_My dearest Queen, oh how I've longed to write you, for the nights grow cold without you, and the days are to long to bare._

Zelda rolled her eyes. He got sappy when he was off on 'adventures.'

 _Anyway, I'm on a journey of self discovery, self's discovery. Many discoveries of myself. You'll understand._ She didn't _The bad news is that I don't know when I'll be home. hopefully within the month. But I'm not sure, time is weird, so is Time, but that's another topic. The good news is I've found out why there are new monsters in Hyrule, exciting right? And that's why I'm away, the problem is easily solved but only by someone who's good at monster stuff. AKA me. I have some travelling companions so don't worry about me._

_But it's a lot to explain and I can do it all in person soon. Hopefully. Just know that I'm safe, have trusty people with me, happy (though I would be happier if you were here,) and not in any immediate danger._

_Keep Hyrule safe for me!_

_Love, Your dutiful hero._

Zelda shook her head, of course Link got distracted. Her husband just couldn't resist adventure. She trusted his judgment and if he said he was safe, he'd be ok. She reread the letter. Who was Time? Or what? Nevermind, she had a kingdom to run.

As long as it wasn't like his last adventure, where Link had come home with a tattoo on his forearm. That had been one hell of an explanation from him. It wasn't a bad tattoo, by all means, It was masterfully crafted. Zelda was just perturbed he hadn't gotten her judgement first.

Now Link was off doing who knows what with whoever. But as long as he came back in one piece she was happy.

\---

The group was currently trekking across a flat field, tree's sticking up at odd angles and a small stream barely worthy of the name trickled by. They had stayed the night in Hedal, only packing up that morning. It had been a few hours of silence so far and Age felt a bit strange being the only one with a steed. He wasn't riding it of course, Kaise was currently trotting alongside the group as she carried most of the luggage.

"Sooooo. . ." Wild started. "King of Hyrule. How's that working out for you? I'm assuming you got with the princess then?"

"I did actually." Age replied. "And so far it's fine. I don't do to much in the way of kingdom running, that's left to the Queen, seeing as she was raised for it." Wild nodded and the group now felt heavy with uncomfortable silence.

"Having Two Time's feels weird." Wind said allowed. Time raised his eyebrow at the boy. "And?" Wind shrugged. "And nothing really. It's just, you're both adults and look like the same guy. 'Cept Age looks off-brand."

"Wind-" Twilight was about to chastise the boy before Age interrupted.

"I may look older. But I'm much younger then I look, Young at heart I like to say." He smirked, Wind reminded him of his squire at home. Oh shit, who was supposed to keep the kid out of trouble while he was gone?

"Young at heart? What the fuck does that-"

" _Wind please._ " Twilight pleaded. "Don't antagonize hi-"

"I'll give you three guesses as to how old I am on the inside." Wind was now looking him straight in the eye. "My answer will be yes or no and then you'll get no more from me."

Wind's eyes narrowed. "If I get it right you'll have to tell me everything about your first adventure."

"Bring it on." Twilight so desperately wanted to intervene.

"Guy's don't." He looked at Time. "Can you stop them?"

"Why would I?"

Twilight sighed and felt the urge to melt into a puddle. Disrespecting a new member, let alone an adult was too much for him at the moment.

Wind thought long and hard, before he glanced back up at Age. "Do I get to know your physical age?" "Nope." "Shit." Wind kept on thinking. "28." He guessed. "Wrong."

"30."

"30? No."

Wind furrowed his brow. ". . . 25?" He asked.

"Nope, but you're close." "24! 26!" Wind kept guessing. "25 and half?"

"I told you you only 3 guesses." Age shrugged. "It's not my fault you think I'm old."

"24? Damn it. I was close wasn't I?"

"Yeah, close enough. Just not close enough to count."

"Are you to done yet?" Legend asked. Age looked between the two.

"Yeah, I think we are."

"Awwww." Wind let out a sigh. "Hey Time!" he called. "Do you know how old Age is?" Time shook his head. "I don't think it's my place to say."

"Fuck."


	6. Meeting Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things actually happen in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah! AnOTher chapter! Please go check out JoJo's original comic of Linked Universe.

The town of Hedal was farther then Link thought it would be. Not that is was inconveniently long, it was just an extra few hours Link had to do nothing. Except think about his predicament. There were monsters unrecognized roaming about, maybe from another part of the world, but if so why were they here? Migration would be a dangerous thing to fight against if these Lizalfoes were anything Link knew them to be. Yes he trusted his own power and the might of Hyrule’s military, but he didn't want to try and push their forces and spread them thin only after 13 years or so after Ganon. 

Off in the distance Hedal came into view by mid afternoon. The bustling town was built soon after people moved back into Hyrule if Link could remember correctly. That along with some other towns mainly held refugees trying to get back onto their feet. Now entering the town, Link needed himself to be on the lookout for anyone who might be capable of slaying a hoard of monsters. And an Inn. Kaise needed a place to rest after all. 

After finding a suitable inn, the _'Home Away from Home'_ as it called itself, Link decided to stroll along the streets, seeing if he could talk to anyone to get information. He made sure that his sword and gauntlets were in full view of anyone he talked to, just in case this so called group were looking for a fight with humans as well as monsters. 

The streets were pleasantly busy, enough people to talk to, and get lost in a crowd if need be, but not overly so, so he could still stop and talk to people without the fear of being trampled. He waved down a food seller in his booth by the corner.

"Good day to you sir," The merchant addressed him. "You look weary from travel, need a drink?"

The king nodded gratefully, "I'll gladly buy some off you, and some food to if you have enough." A quick glance at his booth told him that he didn't have much to sell, or that he had already sold a lot. 

"Business favoring you today?" He asked.

"Oh just some young men passing through. They were all hungry and my prices suited the bunch well enough I suppose. They almost stripped me dry of me stock. Not that I mind a bunch, I'm glad I could keep a troupe of adventurers well fed."

The last line piqued Link's interest. "Adventures you say?"

"Oh yeah, maybe eight or nine of them if I could guess. All dressed in dirty clothes and swords." He ran his eyes down Link. "Dressed much like yourself actually, minus the dirt of course. One of them had fine armor if I must say, and-" He stopped himself. "I'm rambling aren't I? You want your food by now don't ya?" 

"Oh it's no trouble." Link assured him. "I'm looking for more people like myself actually. If you could point me in their direction I'd happily go my way."

The man nodded thoughtfully, "That makes sense alright." He handed Link a filled pouch of water and a sack of dried meat and fruit. "They went over that way," he pointed to the statue in the middle of the town. "My bet is that they picked themselves a room up in Little Town. It's a small place but worth its price."

Link thanked the man, paid him in rupees, and now with a new lead, went his way to the Little Town Inn.

The Little Town Inn was indeed small. The lobby could fit maybe Three and the overall size was nothing to write home about. _He would still tell Zelda though, he told his wife everything._ His inquiry as to whether a large group of young men were at the inn was met with a callous look and a snipped answer about 'Not giving away user information' which either meant that this grouped payed to keep the inns mouth shut, or they thought he would cause trouble. And Link wasn't sure which. It all depended on this mysterious group of heroic individuals. 

Now back on the streets, Link considered scaling the outside of the building to look in through the windows, but that was decidedly a bad idea, seeing that he wasn't even sure the group was there, plus on the chance that he would fall, his older body would hurt. Which sucked. 

Now back on the street, Link considered his options. He could ask around some more, or he could go directly to the surrounding Inns and ask. As he stalked around Hadel looking for someone to ask, or an Inn to investigate, he came across a pair of young boys speaking in hushed whispers. Link didn't mean to pry, but in the end he was Link, king or not. So he decided to walk slower as he passed them, straining his ears to catch a word of what they were saying. 

He didn't hear much, a true tragedy, but he heard the word 'Warriors.' spoken slightly louder than the rest. _Warriors,_ as the group of hero's that took care of the monsters in the East? Hopefully. Link decided it was enough to ask them about. He circled around and headed back to where he saw them. The pair was on the move. Link followed them. One was dressed plainly enough, a blue tunic with long hair much like his own, while the other was dressed in something more suitable for a warmer climate. Link couldn't imagine that fur around his neck was all that comfortable in the spring daze.

Link picked up his pace in order to catch up with the two. As he did, he noticed the sword at the belt of the one in furs. Was he in the group? Was the other one with him? Either way Link needed information, and if this pair were the source, then jackpot. 

He tapped the shoulder of the boy in blue. "Excuse me, but could I ask you something?"

The boy turned around and Link was met a face scarred on one side. Many citizens had scars due to Ganon's seven year reign, but not to this extent. The scares crawling along the side of this boy's face had to come from a deliberate enemy. That or a most unfortunate accident involving bombs. After a few moments Link realized he was staring. But was comforted by the fact that the boy was staring at him with the same baffled expression. Link shook his head slightly to catch him up to the real world. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare." The boy in blue still looked dumbfounded, as well as the boy in fur Link now noticed. Did he have something on his face? "Do you mind if we step out of the crowd?" He asked. The teen in fur nodded at soon they were on the sides of the road instead of the middle of the crowd. 

"What did you need?" The scarred one asked. His voice was pitched a bit high. 

"I'm looking for a group of people." Link told them. "Of adventures actually. They took care of a group of monsters I was sent to check out. And I need to ask them some things." He gestured to the sword on the boy's belt. "You strike me as the kind to know how to help me find them, that is," he paused. "If you aren't in the group yourselves." Link knew it might be a problem for him, supposedly calling out two young men in a public setting. But seeing as they had yet to put ten words together in a sentence, Link wasn't to worried about his chances.

"I'm sorry sir, but who are you?" The boy in fur asked. A valid question. But Link hesitated to give out his name, seeing that Link the Hero of Time and King of Hyrule was a very well known man. But, seeing that the two were staring at him like he had a flashing light on his face, they might already know his identity. 

"My name is Link." The pair starred dumbfounded at him. "And you are?" He followed up, hoping for a reply.

"We need you to meet someone." The scarred one blurted out. Not the answer he was hoping for, but Link would take it. 

"Ok? But I would like to know whether you were part of the group or not? And who do I need to see?" 

"Yeah we're part of that group, and we have someone you need to meet. Or, people, you need to meet." The boy in fur replied. Fair enough. 

"Alright then. I'll follow your lead."

Link was led by the pair to an inn. It wasn't the Little Town in surprisingly. It was one that Link was walked past on his way into the town. It had a small bar in the front, which wasn't out of the norm, but it was odd that Link hadn't noticed it beforehand. The boys called out to some other young men in the bar and beckoned them to follow as well. Now Link felt as if he was stuck in some parade. Or a giant prank he was the butt of. Because all the two men, and the boy now added to the mock troupe were all staring at him like he had said something. 

He didn't doubt now that this was the group he had been tracking. A young adult in knights armor was now trotting along behind him. Trading harsh whispers with the boy with soft brown hair and a sailcloth as a cape. Link heard the words ' _Time_ ' and ' _Hyrule_ ' being thrown about, but he didn't understand what they were talking about. All link could do was pray that it wasn't a trap. 

Soon they were all in a meeting room at the top of the Inn. These rooms Link knew, were meant for impromptu meetings held at randoms by travelers or visiting merchants when working a hard bargain with others. 

"Do you mind if I ask you what's going on?" He asked the boy in fur. "At lEast let me know what I can call you all." 

"Oh, uh, sorry." The boy replied, obviously his mind was far from introductions. "I'm Twilight." He pointed to the boy with scars. "That's Wild." Twilight went around the room introducing each of the Five boys. "Wind," He asked the boy in blue, "Could you go get Time, Legend, and Hyrule?" 

_Who?_ Link would admit these were strange names. Only Hyrule fell into the list of plausible names, seeing as since popular to name your child in honor of the growing nation. Maybe these were all code names, but why would this group need code names?

"So what's your story old man?" The knight, _Warriors_ said. Link assumed this was the Warriors Twilight and Wild were referring to. 

"Story?"

The others in the room were seating variously around in chairs, some leaning on tables. All were watching Warriors speak to Link. 

"Yeah, you have the spirit of the hero right? Who are you? Your name's Link right?" Twilight glared at him. "What?" Warriors defended. "He's going to know sooner or later."

Link knew that at the physical age of 27 he was older than anyone in the room, but despite being their peer, he just wanted answers. Zelda was going to get a kick out of this story. 

"Spirit of the Hero? Do you mean the Triforce?" Link questioned. 

"Yeah that. Now what's your title?" It was interesting how they knew he carried the Triforce of courage, but not that he was the Hero of Time, as well as the current King. Really interesting. Despite being obviously hylian, they must be out of the country. Maybe they were refugees only now returning. 

Wind took Link's moment of silence to barge into the room bringing three others with him. The first two were normal enough, if Link counted pink hair as normal looking, which at this point, he kinda did. But the last to come through the door was a man that looked older than Link. He was most definitely the leader of this little band. He wore full plated armor, as well as carrying various large weapons, as well as a giant sword that Link recognized from somewhere, but couldn't place it exactly. 

"Well!" Wind announced to everyone. "Here we all are! Can we explain everything now." 

The leader looked around the room. His eyes fell onto Link, and Link could see that the man was missing his right eye, a large gash crossed his face, and what Link assumed was paint on one side of his face. But what surprised Link the most was the look of guilt and, horror? On the mans face. At this point Link understood nothing, but he stood up and held out his hand to the leader.

"Hello," he greeted. "My name's Link. Hero of Time and King of Hyrule."

Link was met with general silence. No one in the group of nine were saying anything to acknowledge that Link had announced his status. Then chatter broke out, mainly from Legend and warriors. 

"What the fuck?" 

"Well I'll be damned. There's two of you."

" _King?_ "

Wind was holding his face in his hands, mouth posed in a perfect 'O'. The boy was practically vibrating. 

The man Link's hand had shaken kept his face still. His one eye was scanning and his gaze was eerily familiar. "My name is Time." He said calmly. "Please excuse my party members we didn't expect to run into you."

Link nodded. "Likewise. I came here looking for a party of nine who had cleared out some monsters causing a fuss. But I feel as if I walked into something much bigger then that. Care to explain?"

Time gestured to the chair Link was previously sitting on, "Have a seat, you'll need one."

Link sat down, Time as well. And the man started to explain everything. Timelines, prodigies, the triforce, The hero's chosen by Hylia, worlds changing, _multiple Hyrule's_. All of it. 

"The monsters we stopped in the East were some that had crossed over from Legends Hyrule. We didn't expect to cross over into a different Hyrule when we chased them." Time explained. 

Link studied the man. "Does this mean I have to keep an eye out for more unknown monsters from different hyrule's entering the kingdom?"

"I don't know, my best guess would be maybe. But they aren't necessarily stronger than the monsters you have here. So if your armies can strong enough it'll just be an inconvenient influx of monsters at most."

Link shook his head. "It's only been so many years since Ganon and we're spread thinly enough with the problems we have at the moment. Any additional monsters could cripple us and leave us open for attack. We've only barley established a working system and large scale anything could topple Hyrule for good." 

"What do you have so far when it comes to military?"

"Military? We have the standard guards in castle town, and some in the outposts like in the East. I think the total number is seven thousand soldiers we have on hand. Closer to nine thousand if we deploy all the troops. Not to mention the young men willing to volunteer for their country, or allies willing to help." 

"You're spread thin."

"I know." Link acknowledged. "But you have to understand that we're still trying to fix things."

"No no," Time assured him, "I understand." He paused. "But now that I know we have a growing country on our hands we might have to speed up our quest a bit."

"You know how to fix this?" Link asked. 

"Yeah," Legend spoke up. "Find Dark Link and kill the fucker."

"Dark Link?" Now that was a name he hadn't heard in years. "How is he causing this? How is he here? He should be dead in the water temple."

"We don't know how he's here. He just is, and we have to take care of him." Legend answered. "Now are you going to join the party or not?"

"What? Join you?" 

"You heard me." Legend approached Link where he sat. "We don't just randomly find another Link to say hi to then move on. Like the old man said, we're brought together for a reason." He gestured to Link's belongings and weaponry. "Plus you're literally ready to leave. Why not just walk out of town with us."

"Because, I have my duties here."

Legend rolled his eyes. "So do we, none of us are here because it's convenient, so why not just walk awa-"

"Legend stop." Time commanded. Legend shut his mouth, glaring at the leader. "You're not obligated to follow along with us. You can stay here if you want."

"But he's the Hero of Time," Legend interjected. "He's literally you, and you're just going to let him walk away? How the fuck is that even?" Legend threw his hands in the air. "Why does he exist when you're the Hero of-"

"Shut up Legend." Warriors called out. "Don't piss of the old man. Let him say what he needs to then you can throw your bitching party later."

"I'll kick your fucking teeth in."

"Try me toots."

"Leave, all of you." Everyone looked at Time. Legend, who was slowly approaching Warriors stopped in his tracks. "You can fight that out downstairs. But I need time to explain this to our friend here." No one argued with Time, seeing as he was not in the mood to put up with the teen's. 

Twilight dawdled by the door. "Time," he started.

"You as well." Twilight nodded and closed the door behind him.

Now alone in the room with Time, Link decided it was time for some questions to be answered. 

"What did, what did Legend mean by 'I'm literally you'?" He asked. 

Time sighed shaking his head. "He's referring to your status as the Hero of Time."

"Is that considered a problem?"

"No not really. The problem lies in that, I am also the Hero of Time."

What? "Excuse me?" Link was baffled by the statement. "What? But you, I am." He stumbled over his words. "How?" he finally asked Time. 

"Well. All of us are from different timelines right?" Time was referring to the other hero's previously in the room. "Do you remember, right after you defeated Ganon, Zelda offered to send you back home." 

Yes, Link did in fact remember that. He also remembered turning her down. Link turned down her offer to not split the timelines and leave her here alone. Link was hit with realization like a bolt of lightning.

"Holy shit." He whispered. "You're me if I went back."

"And you're me if I decided to stay."

"Oh my, what?" He asked incredulously. "How? Holy Hylia. I can't believe it." He glanced at Time. "What the fuck happened to you, me." 

"Nothing I could tell you about in a single night. But I can tell you more about the timelines."

Link was now anxious to learn about anything other him had to say. "Yes please." 

"Oh by the way," Time added. "What do you want your name to be."

"Name? Like your nicknames?"

"Yes. We all took them from out titles but seeing as you and I have the same title, and King is to pretentious, I'll let you pick your own."

"Wow, now I feel special." Link pondered what he could call himself. "How about Age?" He suggested. 

"That sounds like something I would come up with."

\---

After an hour of waiting in the room next the two Times. Twilight decided that he had given Time and, himself? Enough time to talk. And he stood at the door, softly knocking on it. 

"Who's there." He could hear Time ask. 

"It's me. Twilight." He answered. 

"Come in."

Twilight quickly opened the door and shuffled in. Time and his double were sitting across from each other by the window. As if they had been leisurely chatting. Which maybe they were. Who knows? Not Twilight.

"What do you need pup." Time questioned. The use of the nickname in front the practical stranger made Twilight flush. 

"I just wanted to know if your, you." _Your, you? what the heck, why did he say that_ "was going to uh, join us."

Time's double's eyes flitted between Twilight and his mentor. "I think it's a safe bet to say that I will."

"Really?"

"Yeah." The new Link stood up to shake Twilight's hand. "You can call me Age."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warriors and Legend did end up fighting each other. I won't say who won.


	7. Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hhhhhhhuh You all thought I was DEAD huh? Surprise! Age is back!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to Julia, Hinn, Script, Kai and many many others who inspire me to keep going.

Wind would never say it out loud. But he was jealous of Twilight. Of course he didn’t hate him! Twilight was like a brother to him. 

Wind just wished that Time gathered him like he did Twilight. Time was the father of the whole group that was for sure. He was everything the boys had never gotten before. A dad. But it was clear to them that he held Twilight closer than the rest. It never impacted his decisions but it was there. The way he spoke to him, the time they spent talking to each other. How much Twilight already knew about Malon before they even met her spoke volumes. It was probably because Twilight was the direct hero after Time. 

Wind just wished he was in Twilight's place. 

\---

Scenes slowly changed around them. Foliage took on a different hue, grass became crunchier, Fall seemed to slowly makes its way into their path. 

"Well would you look at that," Four gingerly kicked the foot of a nearby tree. "it's my Hryule." He turned to the others. "Hurry up!" He shouted. "We gotta see if it's the fall harvest!"And he took off running into the trees. 

"Fall harvest?" Hyrule asked. "What's that?" He was met with shrugs.

"We're going to follow him either way, might as well humor him and hurry up." Wild pointed out. 

"Then onward we go."

They reached civilization in the early afternoon. It was a grand town decked to the 9's with colored leaves, painted signs, stringed popcorn, and torches. 

"Ooooooh," Wind exclaimed. "It's a party!"

"More of a festival really." Four interjected from behind him. "This isn't my hometown, but I asked around, and tomorrow night is harvest night. It's currently founders day."

"Mind explaining the holiday then?" Age asked.

Four shrugged. "Its a week of celebration. 7 days are dedicated to celebrating a certain aspect of Hyrule. There's uh," He paused. "Royal day, where we show appreciation to the Queen and King. Visitors day, where it's about people who have traveled or moved into Hyrule. Founders day, where we celebrate the founder of Hyrule. And tomorrow is Harvest day when we have a feast and celebrate the harvest!" He threw up his hands, presenting the Links to the town. "There are more of course, but I only have a few memorized. Feel free to look around though."

Wind nodded. A week long festival? He could get behind that. Oh he really could.

Time nodded. "This sounds exciting. But we need to refuel before we enjoy ourselves." Time was met by a series of groans. "Twilight, go with Legend and find us some lodging, preferably we all don't share one room like last time."

"It was one fucking time."

"Wind, you and Age find a good vendor willing to sell us food in bulk."

"You got it, other Me." Time grimaced at Age's nickname. 

"I'll send Warriors after you two" He said pointing at Age and Wind. "When I need you to come back. But take your time."

"By technicality, Age is my Time." Wind pointed out.

"What?"

"Nevermind."

Wind and Age set out on their hunt to for bulk foods. The smell of warm spices and vanilla permeated the air. 

"Okay, but what constitutes itself as a bulk food?" Age was currently prowling the street vendors, Wind following his heals. "We could technically get 30 pounds of cinnamon and that would count, right?" Wind shrugged. 

"You're not wrong. But I don't think that was what Time had in mind."

"Yes, but still." Age was looking at a vendor that held dried sponge cakes. "He never specified what _kind_ of food."

Wind too was eyeing the same stall. "When you put it that way. . ."

"Want to get a pound of sponge cake?"

"Fuck yeah."

It was an hour into their shopping trip and the pair had yet to find anything to get other then sponge cake. Most of the men and women in the stalls would kindly tell them they sold by the product, not by the pound. Others eyed them wearily and asked them why they would want 2 pounds of cream cheese. 

They needed to find an actual store to get their supplies from. Not a vendor. 

"Now where would a store be?" Wind mused. "There?" He pointed to a shop looking building covered in stringed popcorn and surrounded in carved squashes. The sign above it read **General** "Think the General is short for general store?"

Age shrugged. "It's a better guess then I got. Let's go check it out." The pushed pass the busier people in the streets, Age held the door as Wind bound inside to see what was there. 

He was met with a large room. Filled head to toe in goods. He was lazily greeted by a snoozing girl at a counter. Wind could see bombs, hay, barrels, and cotton wool just from where he stood. There had to be food somewhere in here. 

Wind stalked around the shelves. There was lye, dye, and potatoes! Right next to the, "Lobsters!" he shouted. Wind ran forward to a small glass tank with 3 bright red lobsters in it. There pincers weren't tied back and 2 of the 3 were having at it. Snapping away at each other in a pitiful attempt to control territory. 

"Lobsters?" Age stood beside him. "5 rupees the one on the left wins."

"Really?" Wind scoffed. "With how that guy is doing. that'll be the easiest 5 rupees of my life."

They stood their in silence as the lobsters battled away. Wind couldn't actually tell when one would win. He'd never seen Lobsters fight before. Just hoped it was the bigger one on the right.

After 15 minutes or so. The right lobster seamed to give up, shuffling away from the other. No visible signs of injury were on either of them.

Age grinned. "I think that counts towards my win."

"No way! Your's looks so beat up it could die any second!" In all reality Wind had lost track of which lobster was his. "You owe me some rupees."

"Fine, fine. I concede. You win." Age pulled out a blue rupee and slipped in into Winds waiting hands. "Make sure you don't spend recklessly and all that. I don't want Time to rag on me about corrupting the youth."

Wind snickered. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to spend it on sponge cake."

"Atta boy." Age slapped his back. "I'm going to get healthy food now. Head on out before you're corrupted." 

Wind happily nodded and skipped out of the GENERAL. 5 rupees wasn't a lot. But winning a bet you thought you'd loose was always nice. He sat on the porch of the store. The sky was starting to darken and a guy dressed in solid orange was going around lighting the torches with the assistance of his daughter. It was bustling and Wind could already see more game like stall being set up in place of some of the other food/equipment stalls.

Age exited the store after the sky had gone completely black. There were 2 backs on his shoulders. Brimming with only what Wind assume was vegetables and flour. A dripping wet sack was tossed to Wind. It was smaller then the 2 Age had. Wind peeked inside of it. 

Inside the bag was a bright red lobster. It scuttled forward seeing Wind's hand as a sign of escape. Wind yelped and closed the sack before it could nip him. 

"You _bought_ a Lobster!?" He exclaimed.

"Figured you'd want the winner." Age shrugged. "Make sure to keep him wet, might want to get him a place in Wild's slate. The little guy needs to be submerged here and there."

"You bought me my winning lobster." 

"Yeah, encase you need to win another Lobster fight."

"His name is Lobby."

"Sounds good. Now should we keep looking?" Age suggested. 

"What, did we not find everything we needed back there?"

"Of course we found everything we need. But we haven't gotten everything I'm sure we want."

Wind furrowed his brow. "Are you suggesting we stay out more then we need to?"

"Of course not, I'm saying we need to gather adequate supplies for our journey. And," Age squinted at a nearby booth decked in lights. "And I think that quiver upgrade over there is just what we're looking for."

Wind grinned. Tonight was going to be fun. He even had an extra blue rupee to spend. "Wait, Time said he'd send warriors to get us when we needed to get back."

Age shrugged. "He hasn't come for us yet." He helped Wind stand up. "Now, how good of a shot are you?"

\---

 _That fucker is cheating_ Wind thought. It was his third try to shoot all 20 of the fake Octoroks before the time was up. And so far the best he had gotten was 17. He'd seen his arrow go through all of them he was sure. But as to why the guy wouldn't declare him the winner was a hack. "I think I'm done." He told age uneasily. He'd lost 3 rupees to this guy, and he wasn't going yo try and out him. Let the thief have his way.

Those wannabee Oktoroks had better thank their lucky stars Wind was out of bombs. He was not afraid of using them.

"That's okay. We can go drop off our food and lobster friend somewhere and continue looking for something good."

Wind slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Sounds good."

There were plenty more games to choose from. A game caught Wind's eye. It was a game where cartons were stacked on top of each other. And you got a ball to throw at them in hopes to know them all down. _Now if he used the wind waker, he might be able to get a stonger then normal breeze to help him out_.

"I see you staring at the ball toss. You thinking of trying your luck?" Age interrupted. 

"Hmmmm, maybe."

The two approached the booth tally. Before he could greet them Wind asked him a question. "Is your game rigged?"

The burly man looked taken aback. "No! How dare you insinuate that. I promise you that this game is an equal opportunity!"

"So if I win, I win?" 

"Yes, you would." Age seemed skeptical of Wind's tactics but decided not to intervene. Wind payed the man the last of his 2 rupees and received his 6 balls to throw. He could feel that they were weighted. Perfect for messing up a fine throw.

Wind gingerly bounced them in his hands. He was gonna win this. 

He threw his first ball. It missed. It flopped pathetically at the base of the carton holder. He threw the next ball with more force, this time it hit the first carton on top. But it bounced off harmlessly. _So they were glued together_. Good to know. Wind felt Age behind him. So he was seeing this to? Hope he'd provide backup when things got ugly. 

Wind threw another to throw the traitorous scum of a game manager of his rhythm. But his 4th throw. He put some wind behind that one. It flew faster than its brothers. It hit the three cartons straight on. It still did nothing. 

"The cartons are glued together. And then they're glued to the table aren't they?" The man spluttered. 

"No they are not! You're just a kid! You're throws are week and not hitting them correctly."

Wind raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? What about this?" Wind pulled out hit bow and an unused arrow from the octorok game. He fired it at the cartons before the men could protest. And yep, it bounced off harmlessly. "They aren't even cartons! They're metal!"

"Shut Up you child!" The manager made to grab Wind's are but he stomped on his foot before he could get a good grip. "RUN!" Wind shouted. He dashed out of their. The scum of the earth following him close behind.

After close to 3 minutes of mad dashing through the streets Wind came to a stop. Where was Age? Oh shit he left him behind didn't he. Wind was about to turn around before he heard Age panting and stumbling into the street. 

"You- have-, _Got_ to slow down a bit." He said holding his sides. "I keep running like I'm 22 _but I'm not_. Especially since I'm still carrying the groceries. "

"I thought I left you behind! You ok?" Wind approached him.

Age waved him off. "I'll be fine. These on my back and your new bomb bag just nerfed my stamina that's all."

"My new bomb bag?"

"Yeah, it was the prize for knocking down all three. Holds 40 I think. I stole it while you were running away, he tried chasing you and left his booth empty."

Wind grinned. "You didn't steal it. You got me what was rightfully mine."

Age grinned back at him. "Right on kid. Now how about some Ice cream?"

"Not so fast you two!" A shout was heard from behind them. Warriors skidded around the corner. Scarf flying in the wind like the worlds lamest superhero. "You guys are coming with me!"

Wind and Age exchanged looks. "You up for running again?" Age asked. Wind didn't respond, he immediately kicked into action and practically flew around the corner. Age at his heels. 

"Hey, HEY!" He heard warriors shout behind him. "Get back here Wind! Age!" and thunking footsteps behind him. Warriors was in pursuit. 

He dodged into an ally side street. "This way!" He beckoned Age. The man followed without question. The side street hand many ladders leading up to the roofs of houses. Wind picked one and began to climb it as quickly as possible. He hoisted himself up. Feeling Lobby jumble around at his waist. And quickly pulled Age up with him. They watched the alley below, moments later Warriors turned the corner and ran down the alley. Paying no mind to the two figures watching from above. 

"Phew. Now _that_ was intense."

Wind nodded. "You can say that again. Where’s the nearest sweet shop?"

Wind found a place. ' **Bob** ' it simply called itself. The attendants served them their ice cream. Or this Hyrule's equivalent which was closer to pudding then anything. And where kind enough to let Lobby swim around in their clean dish tub before sending him back out.

"Now, how do we find the others?" Age asked. "Warriors was supposed to fetch us but we kinda ran from him."

"Don't worry," Wind assured him pulling out his necklace. "This little thing here lets me talk to Wild. It's not the best connection but it's good enough for the situation." He swung it around his finger a few times. The crystal glowed slightly. Wind stopped and held it to his mouth. "Horse commander Horse commander. This is Windy kid speaking. I repeat, this is Windy speaking. Over."

A crackled voice responded. Seeming to come from the stone itself. "What? Wind where are you? I'm the only one awake, supposed to stay up till you and Age get back." 

"Discount and I got distracted. Sorry for the inconvenience. Over."

Wild sighed over the stone. It sounded like someone rubbing two rocks together then anything. "Just get back quickly. I want to sleep. We're at the Last Night Inn."

"See you in 10. Over." Wind looked over to Age. "You heard him! Last Night inn!" He skipped towards the north end of the town. Hopefully it was in that direction.

\---

"Heard you had a fun night out with Wind."

"Yes sir, I did."

"Did you cause any trouble?"

"Not at all."

"If I ask everyone in town this question will they give me the same answer?"

"Yes Sir. Just keep don't ask those money hungry scammers that appear in the night."

"I'll take my word for it."


	8. Zelda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time gets a taste of the Hyrule he left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH DON, HINN, JULIA, BETH, and SO many other people who have continued to read my Live writes and support my Age content. Ya'll are so amazing!

In all honesty? Time didn't recognize Age. 

When he saw the younger version of himself, one with less scars and more then Time could ever imagine having, all he saw was another Hero they had found. Just that this one wasn't a child. But sometimes Age would do something, or use a phrase Time himself used, and he would be instantly reminded that this was _him_. This Link has used the Ocarina of Time, had traveled around Hyrule with Navi, was engaged to the same Zora princess when they were 10, grew up in Kokiri forest with Saria and The Great Deku Tree. And Time would find himself a bit dizzy that this man before him knew everything about him. In great detail. Down to the freckles on the back of his left hand. And yet Age still seemed a stranger to him. 

But Time was glad that too see what would have happened if he had walked down a different road. How life would have treated him if he had stayed. No, Time didn't regret the path he had took. Termina had scared him for life, physically and mentally, but the experience he gained along the way was valuable. And Malon was 100% worth he would have to say. Interesting to figure out Age married Zelda.

But while he didn't recognize Age as himself. Time did recognize that hill, and that giant tree, and the river leading into Zora's domain, and the smoke rings around death mountain, they were in Age's Hyrule.

\---

Castletown was. . . different actually. It was still colorful and alive. But there wasn't a fountain anymore. The shops sold completely different items, and there were more traditional housing compared to the Castletown he was used to. 

"Different isn't it?" Age asked him from behind. Time tore his eyes away from the middle of the square, where a memorial of those lost during the 7 years now stood. "I tried my best to recreate Hyrule as I remembered it. But trying to recreate a town when people are just moving in again proved harder then it seemed to be. So some changes had to be made." Time nodded dimly. 

"It's more economical, that's for sure. Less colorful too." 

"Eeh gad man you have to rub it in don't you? I suppose you see your color filled Castletown regularly?"

"No, not really." Time followed Age as the 2 of them navigated the streets. "The last time i was here, here as is my hyrule, was almost 7 months ago."

"Oh that's right! You married, Malon, right? You live at Lon Lon ranch." It was weird hearing someone talk about his home that wasn't actually his home. And someone refer to someone who was only his wife in a different Timeline.

"I do live there. The milk benefits are amazing." Time joked. 

Age chuckled. "I bet they are. As long as the cucoos don't kill you first."

"I've learned they're not as much of a problem if you don't hit them."

"Sounds like a win win situation to me." Age stopped right before the street that led to Hyrule Castle. "Shall we go in?" 

"No time like the present." He replied. 

"And there's no Time like you my friend." 

"Not if you take yourself into consideration." 

Age snorted. "As if. I seem to have kept my enjoyment of puns. While you have resorted to dry humor and cryptic behavior."

"My wife is the only person allowed to call me out like this."

The 2 strolled side by side into the field to he gates. Just walking there seemed strange. Time's visits to his pseudo sister always involved sneaking in and dunking on castle guards. All Age had to do was walk right in. _Funky._

\---

Hyrule Castle was exactly the same. It was because the had actual blueprints for this one he was told. There were some changed but it was the same color and everything. "Welcome to my home!" Age announced as he crossed the threshold of the court. "All the rooms should be in the same place. And as soon as I talk to Zel, we can bring in the boys." The boys currently staying in the Goron village. Wild had insisted that they stay the days journey, and let Time and Age travel on ahead.

"I'll introduce you to Zel later, maybe at dinner when she's chewed me out for not explaining enough in my letter. Sounds good?"

"Don't worry. I'll be good for the next few hours. See how Limewell is maybe."

"Limewell? The old coot in the records room?" Age shrugged. "Different timelines." He reminded himself. "Different timelines. Have fun bud." He patted Time on the back and sprinted off in search of his wife. 

\---

The walls were made of solid marble, and the familiar clack of shoes on stone were satisfying. Sweet spring air wafted through the coulombs separating the hallway from the palace gardens, it didn't at all feel like home, but it was breathtaking how beautiful the sight was. Time would have to congratulate this Zelda on rebuilding Hyrule.

Time paused to listen to the fountain in the garden pour. He was sure it was the same fountain from the square. Maybe it was transplanted, or a copy was made. Time was unsure. 

Behind him he heard someone approaching in hurried footsteps. "There you are Link. Thank god I found you sooner than later. Hinnder told me you were looking for me. Did you cut your hair? Why are you in the gard-" She stopped asking questions as Time turned around.

It was, definitely Zelda that's for sure. She was dressed in a soft lilac blouse and pants much like the ones the Sheika wore. She wore her hair differently then he would have guessed. His Zelda preferred hers down, while the women stopped in front of him had her hair in a braided plait down her back

"Oh my god, Link are you okay?" She approached Time at a fast pace. Not caring for Time's objections. 

"Your highness I'm not-"

"Nonsense Link you're hurt!" Zelda reached out to pull him towards her.

"I'm sorry but I'm-" Time found himself on the floor. Arms twisted painfully behind him.

"Answer me once. Who the _fuck_ are you?"

Oh shit. He had forgotten about Sheik.

"Look, I can explain." Time protested his face currently pressed against hard stone. Of all the days he chose to not wear his heavy armor. "Age- I mean Link, your husband can explain everything."

Zelda loosed her grip on his arm slightly. "Age? How do you know my husb-"

"There you to are!" Age bounded down the corridor. "I uh, see you've met." He nervously wrung his hands. "Sorry, I should have let you know about Time. You can get off him."

Zelda slowly glanced between the too men. She let Time out of her grip and stood up. Time sat up stretching his arms. "Not that I'm glad to have you back dear. But how did you find a scarred doppelganger of yourself?" 

"Ahh well. I can answer that after we talk about some other things. All you need to know right now is that he's a good guy. And I have 8 other guys who need a place to stay."

"Uhuh, alright." Zelda crossed her arms. "I presume you have a good explanation for this?"

"I sure do! And it is not what you think it is."

"I'm sure. For now I am going to trust you, and head back inside." Zelda gave Age a quick peck on the cheek then took off without a glance behind her.

Age bent down to help Time up. "You okay there buddy? Forgot my wife was a trained assassin. I thought you would remember."

Time rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, so did I."

The other 8 hero's arrived later in the day when word was sent that they were safe to come. The promise of a castle feast and beds to match was more than enough to help them make the journey in less than half the time it would have regularly taken. 

Thankfully enough the boys were all well behaved, and polite when in the castle. As well behaved as they could be at least. Warriors and Wild seemed to assume some of their old habits and saluted higher ranking guards seen throughout the castle. 

Dinner was also a pleasant enough affair. It was truly fit for returning heroes. There was steamed pork marinated in goron spice, with enough roasted vegetables to keep them all fed for days. There were all sorts of beverages, Time elected to be as sober as possible with the upcoming conversation with Zelda, then chose to ignore his decision when the milk made him homesick. It was without a doubt from this Hyrules LonLon ranch. 

Time could feel Zelda giving him the side eye. He would be bothered by it if he didn't understand where her paranoia came from. She always had an eye out for people who entered the castle looking for trouble. Time was also busy watching Legend and Warriors encase they decided the castle table was the best place to duke it out.

Dinner was over, tables were being cleared around them. It was time so send the Link's off to bed so the adults could talk. 

"I'm 24, that's adult enough right? That means I can stay?"

"Nice try Warriors, but no. This is a 30+ conversation." Age replied shaking his head. 

Warriors crossed his arms. "By that logic, do you even qualify?"

"As long as you can't prove me otherwise? Yes."

"That's rigged. We all know you're below 30."

"Warriors, go to bed." Time sighed. "I really don't want to carry you there, but I will if I have to."

Warriors rolled his eyes, turning around to head to his assigned room. Shown to all of them by Hinnder earlier in the day.

"I think," Zelda stood up from her spot at the head of the table. "That my study is an appropriate place for you explain things. Yes?"

Time stood up after her. "The more private the better."

The study itself was vastly different then the one Time was used to seeing Zelda in. This study had many seating areas, a roaring fireplace, and lacked the smell of incense. "Charming place." 

"Charming boys." Zelda responded. "It's a wonder how they all look like my husband."

"That can be explained. I promise." Age added. 

"Good. I'm especially interested in who you are, seeing as you look exactly like my husband if he took up underground sword fighting as a hobby."

Time grinned. "What gave it away." 

"The face paint honestly."

"Honey that may be a bit harsh."

"No she's fine." Time sat down in a single person sofa. "I think this would be a good time to explain."

"Yes it would."

Age sat with Zelda, facing Time on the couch he was perched on. 

"Hopefully you know by now. That a part of the Triforce lives in you and Link. Don't ask how I know, you'll find out later. But, he's reincarnated. Along with Yourself and Ganondorf."

"And you young men are. . ."

"Other reincarnations of Link. We have all held the Triforce of courage. Had a Zelda by our side, and fought Ganon, or another great evil threatening Hyrule."

Zelda leaned back, hand on her chin. "Interesting. How are you all here then?"

Time shrugged. "Dark Link is back. And fate decided that we all had to have a family reunion and kill him together." He paused. "This also means that the various Hyrules we come from are merging. As well as the timelines. Just last week we were in Wild's Hyrule. Which is vastly different than the one we're in."

"Dark, Link." She turned to Age. "He's dead in the water temple isn't he?" Age shrugged. 

"I assumed he was since the fight stopped. But I never saw him die. Others have also fought him individually and have had the same results."

"So Hyrules are merging. This is the explanation behind the new monsters in the east?" She asked Age. He nodded.

"The monsters mentioned in the east were ones of Legend's Hyrule. We we're following them when we found ourselves in a new place."

Zelda's gaze was focused on Time's scar. "Troubling. You mentioned Timelines. What do you mean?"

Time prepared himself for his answer. "There is one timeline at the beginning. When Sky, the first hero to wield the Master Sword and founder of Hyrule defeated Demise. Then to Four. Who found the Four Sword and saved Hyrule once again. Then there's the timeline split. At Age."

"The split is now?"

"No." Time shook his head. "The timeline split into three when Age fought Ganon. There's one." he held up a finger. “Where he loses the battle and the world is plunged into a long period of mourning. The second,” Time held up another finger. “Is now. Where Age wins and chooses to stay as an adult and not be sent back in time to reclaim his childhood.” Time held up his third trembling finger. “The last one is where he, _I_ , chose to be sent back in time.”

"You mean." Zelda turned between the 2 of them. "That you're."

"I am."

"Oh my god." She covered her mouth. "You're, you're. You know everything."

"Just about. Not everything seeing as people change over time but more or less."

Zelda flung her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "You. You went back." There were tears in her eyes. 

"I did."

"And you, stopped Ganon before father died?"

"With a little bit of help from three spiritual stones, a sheika who made the worlds best nanny, and prophetic dreams of the future from the princess. Everything turned out pretty okay." 

Zelda pulled away from him. "What about me? Did I remember?"

"Not a thing."

She retreated to the crook of Age' arm. "I'm so sorry."

Time shook his head. "It's okay. She had dreams here and there about my 7 year absence and some time spent with me, but it's slow going. Just a month ago, I got a letter telling me she remembered the Bolero of Fire, and teaching it to me in a warm environment."

"Were you okay?"

"Not for a while."

Age but in. "What about Navi?"

"Navi. . ." Time hung his head. "Sent back I was returned to the Temple of Time. I placed the Master Sword to rest, and Navi. Left."

" _What?_ "

"She flew away without a word. Out the window as I watched her go. I had to walk to Hyrule castle by myself." 

Time swiped at the tears threatening to spill out at the mention of his late mother figure. It had been years since he had talked about her to anyone. The last person told was Malon which was almost 5 years ago. 

"I don't know why, I never got an answer. I could never find one. I could never find her. I still look for her." He was brought back to the endless hours he spent on Epona, searching through the lost woods and hyrule field looking for her. Age raised a hand to pat Time on the back. 

"I can't Imagine how you felt. Left alone like that. I'm sorry." 

"No, It's ok really. I'm sure she had a good reason."

"If it, gives you closure. Navi's still here in my timeline. You can talk to her if you want?"

Time shot up to look at his counterpart. "What!" He supposed he never thought of Navi in Age's timeline. To caught up in seeing someone new.

"Yeah really. She has her own place now. Not just the back of our hat." Age joked. "It's a bit far south but it's got waterfalls, lighting, the whole works really."

Time couldn't help but laugh. "A great fairy! Of course!" He cried wiping away the hot tears trailing down his face. "Is she big?"

Age nodded. "Huggable to. She might not be your Navi but, she could help? We can see her tomorrow if you want?"

"No, let’s get things sorted out here first. We can see her when we leave. Head south first then see where we go from there."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I can wait." 

Age grimaced. "If you're sure bud. Just know that it's not problem to me if you do."

"Really I can't leave you guys. We have a no breaking up the party for more than 24 hours rule. And I've kept you up long enough. You need sleep as much as the next person."

"We, we have a separate room you can use if you want. We can have someone show you to it."

"That would be much appreciated your majesty."

Zelda chuckled. "I think you've earned the right to call me Zelda by now."

Time smiled. "If you insist."

"I do. And I apologize for slamming you against the garden floor."

"I won’t hold it against you." 

After some more goodbyes Time left the study and was brought to a nice room to sleep in. There was a soft forest theme in the drapery and carpet. It was nice having someone who knew you this well.


	9. Talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So like? First time writing something that’s wasn’t originally a Live Write. Anyway Time gets to talk about trauma, and Age is a himbo.

Age strolled along with Time. The two of them once again found themselves alone together as they made their way to Age’s Navi. Twilight in his infinite wisdom had suggested it, and Time had been grateful. Deep down he wanted to make this trek with just him and Age but couldn’t find a way to tell the group that he wanted to leave them behind.

The foliage above them was damp from the previous rain. Bright light shone through in odd places illuminating their armor and blinding the other whenever they looked at eachother. Age had taken to walking in front of Time as to make sure that whenever the sun caught his sword or shield it would hit Time directly. What an asshole. Time would totally do that if he thought of that first. He winced as light hit his eye for the seventh time since Age started playing his game. 

“Keep this up and I’ll be blind in both eyes.”

Age turned around to face him. “Keep what up?” He asked innocently. 

“Your game of trying to blind me at the age of 32.”

He snorted. “I think you’re older than that.” 

“You’ll never get to know for sure.”

“That’s what you think old man. But I have my ways.”

“Getting someone drunk then asking them for information while posing as a reporter isn’t going to work.”

“Dammit. How do you know about that?” 

“You forget that you and I share 13 years of our life experiences.”

Age groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“Just think.” Time smirked. “I know every embarrassing thing you’ve done as a kid.”

“Oh goddesses please don’t start.”

“I know who your first kiss was.” He taunted. “What about all the times you got hit on the head by a rock because you couldn’t hold your shield properly?”

“Yes, but you did all those things too! This goes both ways other me!” 

Time shrugged. “If you tell them what I did you out yourself as well.”

“Yeah but that’s the same for you. You tell them what _I_ did and you out yourself as well.” 

“I have a trump card.” Time disagreed. “I don’t care what they know about me. I’ll still be that oldest if the group.”

“That really is the best card.” Age swore. “Wish I had that.”

“Sure kid.”

Time jogged ahead a bit. Making sure that his armor caught as much sunlight as possible. 

“I probably deserve this.” 

They continued in a comfortable silence, the morning dew from the rain soaking into their boots, the birds chirping and the ever shining sun above them. 

The breeze was cooler than Age would’ve enjoyed, but all he could do was cause storms and change night to day. Not the temperature. Of course Time could do this as well but this is Age’s point of view and Age is kinda slow on the uptake that Time is literally him. Despite just having a conversation about it. What a guy. 

“Let’s take a rest shall we?” Age suggested. ”I want to talk to you more but my socks are wet.”

“My aren’t you blunt.”

“And you’re not? What happened to you?” Age questioned. 

“I'm assuming that’s why you want to talk? Trying to discover my deepest secrets? Let’s be honest you have a better chance then Twilight. And he’s my son.” 

“See! That. You pull stuff like that know that I’m gonna be hooked on it. Now I want answers.” Age stopped and sat down the closest thing he could find. He gestured for Time to sit as well. “Now please, no more cryptic talk. Just answer my questions.” 

Time regarded him with a slim grin on his face. He was used to this kinda talk, or so it seemed. “Goddesses you sound like my wife.” He laughed. “Sure, but only if I can talk to you and get the truth.” 

Age held his arms open. “I am an open book, unlike you.” He leaned forward, hands resting on his knees. “Now we’ve met my wife, when’s it my turn?”

“That’s all?”

“I’m easing into it.”

Time shrugged, “I don’t really know. Hyrules change at random, of course we visit when we land in my Hyrule, but we don’t know when. Hopefully soon.”

“Yeah but you married Malon. How did that work out? Not to be rude but Zelda was there. And I married Zelda, and I’m you. So where did the disconnect come from?” 

“If there were no timeline shenanigans making this more complicated than it has to be, I would slap you for that.” 

“Fair enough. But it’s a legitimate question.” Age defended. 

“A question it is.” Time acknowledged “Well you should know that when I went back. No one remembered anything. Cept me. Zel had some distant memory of seeing me before but that didn’t do much. I stayed at the palace as accusations were thrown about like paper in a tornado. Zelda and I got to know each other for the second time through that. I think I told her everything about me 3 weeks in. Thankfully she believed me, of course she had a dream about me the next night which made it easier.” Time had a haggered smile on his face. “Convincing the King to kill Ganon was hard, the Gerudo pushed back as much as they could. Losing a king because ‘A Hylian princess had a dream about it’ sounds like a racist King’s wet dream. And their worst nightmare seeing how many times we’ve screwed them over.”

“I never imagined Gerudo pushback. They aligned with Hyrule after Ganon’s reign in my time.”

“Well you had Nabooru, and a good reputation with them. To them I was some kid.” Time explained. “In the end, a compromise was reached. A seemingly innocent Gerudo king was killed and a price was paid for his life.” 

“And that price was?” Age encouraged.

“That’s your next question. Let me continue.” Age rolled his eyes and let Time ramble on. 

“Anyway, I grew up with Zelda for a bit. She was more of a sister to me than anything. I went off on my second adventure and she got me the Ocarina of Time again, replaced the original one with a wooden fake.” Time chuckled. “They still haven’t found out.” 

“So she was more of a sister to you. . .”

“Yeah. Once Ganon was dead I really didn’t have anything to do. But someone who I’d been friends with before I went to sleep for 7 years was Malon. So I kinda hung around the ranch for a couple months. Became a pseudo farm hand.Ingot a bit stir crazy after a while and wanted to do something, I was big enough to ride Epona, so Malon gave her to me and I set off.” He shook his head. “It might have been my biggest mistake. I went on a wild goose chase to find Navi. After a couple weeks of searching I, I got lost. And I, well.” 

“Your second adventure?”

“Yes, that. My second adventure. After that I was, well I was fucked up. I don’t like talking about it, you’ll know sooner or later. But I came home and Malon chewed me out. Told me off for being so dumb. She knew I was hurting and didn’t baby me for it. Sympathized I guess. So uh, yeah.” Time stopped. “That’s all I guess.”

“Huh. Malon is more of my friend, my drinking buddy really. Interesting to know that I Married her in another life.”

Time’s interest was piqued. “How is she in this timeline?”

“Oh you know. She got the farm, she now holds Hyrule’s milk industry in her hands. Insanely strong and puts up a good fight in an arm wrestle.”

“Sounds about right. But it’s my turn.” Time considered his question. “What happened to the Deku Sprout? Or this Deku tree?”

Age paused. “The Deku sprout. Well, I don’t know for sure. I haven’t been back in the forest for a while. I was granted a few more visits and he seemed pretty healthy. The forest is still growing, and from what I’ve heard the Kokiri are preparing to move. The Great Deku sprout, or Tree at this point, is going to change the structure of them. No longer will they be the Kokiri, but a new species! No clue what kind though. So I guess he’s doing pretty great if he’s planning a migration.” 

“How do you know all this?”

“Well, Navi really. She told me she either had to leave and join all the other fairies with the kokiri, or stay and be forced to adapt. Turns out the adaptation was a great fairy.” 

Time’s smile dropped slightly at the mention of Age’s companion. But Age continued knowing He wouldn’t want to talk about it. 

“I think it’s my turn again. If you’re up to it.”

“Yeah, go for it.” 

“You mentioned Nabooru. You should know that the sages left after y’know, the whole adventure. Sacred realm and all that.”

“ _Their pseudo deaths?_ ” Time asked dryly. 

“Yes. I can’t talk to any of them, or contact in anyway but I was wondering if you did. . . Seeing as they’re alive.”

Time cocked his head and layed back on his arms. “After I answer we get back up.” Age nodded in agreement. 

“Do I still talk to them? On a level. Nabooru won’t talk to me seeing as she only knows me as her husband's murderer-”

Age cut him off. “What?” He asked sharply. “She was his- how did I not know?”

Time shrugged. “She didn’t mind you killing a power hungry Ex of hers.” 

Age massaged his forehead. “What the- Nevermind continue.”

“I don’t talk to Raru seeing as he’s a dick and still in the sacred realm. But I make sure to visit Darunia when I can, we’re still brothers and wrestle from time to time.”

“Heaven help your ribcage.”

“Heaven help it indeed, I’m sure most of my fractured ribs came from him. Ruto. . .” He trailed off. “Let’s just say you had probably had an easier time getting out of the engagement. I think we’re still friends, but I haven’t talked to her in a few years. Impa is the one you could say I’m the closest to. She doesn’t remember anything obviously but she believes the princess and let me goof around her for a few months.” 

“And Saria?”

“Saria. . . I haven’t talked to her.” He admitted. “I saw her, I was standing on the tree right outside the forest right? Seeing if I could find Navi from there. I saw her too. Peeking out of a tree just like I was, like she was looking for something. Our eyes met for a few seconds then she, she dropped down and I assume she went back home.” Time‘s voice grew heavy. “I tried to run back into the forest. See if I could catch her. Before I could even get to the bridge I got sick. I had to stop so I could throw up. It was clear I wasn’t regarded as a resident anymore.” He said dryly. 

Age didn’t say anything, only stayed silent as Time continued. 

“I kept thinking, to myself, ‘ _Is this how mom felt?’_ She ran through the forest, probably past the same trees, and felt the same way I did. But she still got us there, didn't she?” Time sucked in a deep breath. “I’m getting off topic aren’t I? We should get going.” He stood you and offered Age a hand. The sun now hidden behind a few clouds cast a darker shadow on everything. Age took his hand. 

“We can go now. There’s more I want to ask but we want to make it there before thursday don’t we?”

“Maybe I’ll have more answers for you.”

“But we’re not moving from this spot till I hug you.”

“What?-” Age pulled the other version of himself into a tight hug. 

“You need a hug, Hylia _above_ man. Your life sucks.” 

Time laughed into his shoulder. “If I had a rupee everytime someone told me that.”

“Those rupees would be well earned my friend.”

“You keep saying ‘My friend’ and it’s weird to hear myself say that.”

“I have a lot of other things I can say.”

“I’d rather you not.”


	10. Navi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Great fairy Navi :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yall thought I was DEAD?? Think again.

Mist covered the land of Hyrule. Or at least the Hyrule field. It was blanketed in a fog thick enough to cause them to walk slower, but apart from dampening their clothing and obstructing their vision, it didn’t do anything to cause them to turn back. As is Time would walk away from this chance. Not in a lifetime. Through the mist, Time caught a glimpse of what lay ahead. A wrought iron fence surrounded by a large naturally constructed wall.

The entrance to Lake Hylia from Hyrule field stood almost a hundred yards in front of them. 

“Lake Hylia?” Time asked.

“Yeah. Why not I mean. It’s a good place.” Age defended.

Time shook his head. “No that’s not it. I guess I never imagined where Navi would put her fountain.”

“Well she didn’t really pick the location. It kind of just showed up and she knew where to go to find it.”

“So, did she just become a great fairy? Or was it gradually?”

“I’ll be completly honest with myself and say I have no fucking idea how or why.”

“Watch your language.”

“We have the same mouth.”

“Unfortunately.” They reached the gate leading to the pathway to Lake Hylia. Time glanced at Age who stood next to him, looking up at the same gate. “You left Kaise with the Boys.”

“Yep.”

“You need a horse to cross this thing.”

“Not if we climb over.”

Time sighed, as Age went ahead and began to climb the Seven foot twisted fence. 

“You’re going to fall.” He stated. 

“It’s not that hard. They have little foot holes for your convenience. I'll be fi-SHIT!” Age’s boot slipped on a bar slick with mist. He fell off and onto the ground on the other side with a dull thunk. 

“You fell.”

“I’m on the other side.”

“You fell.”

“Do you not see me Time.” He got up and brushed off his knees. “I am on the other side.”

"You had better find a way to open up the gate. I am not breaking my back for this."

"We're the same age."

"I never said I wasn't doing it because I wasn't physically able to, I just don't want to."

"But how will you get to the other side?"

"Anyway else."

"The only other way is through zora's domain."

Time hung his head. "I hope you have a fairy at the ready."

"Heck yeah." Age grinned. "I knew I was a good influence."

"I'm the good influence in this relationship."

Time took his time getting over the gate. Almost a good 5 minutes. 

"Are you done yet?" Age asked impatiently.

"Do I look like I want to die at 34?"

"I haven't figured that out yet." 

Time dropped the last Two feet, "You know Age. You are the snarkiest person I have ever met."

"You know deep down that I just say you're thoughts out loud." 

Time rolled his eyes and started ahead. "It's early morning, let's get going."

"It's not too far. Just a couple more minutes. Oh and Time!"

"What?" Time turned to him, tired at another interruption. 

"You got to the other side."

"Age I will leave you here."

"No! I'm coming, I'm coming!" Age hurriedly jogged to catch up with Time.

The entrance to the fairy fountain. . . Looked like a fairy fountain. It was tucked away in a small crevice off the rim of Lake Hylia. Nothing about it overtly screamed ‘Look at me! I’m here!’ It didn't even look Navi themed. Not that he was expecting that of course. 

"Do you think. . ." Time trailed off. "She'll recognize me?"

"I wouldn't worry about it bud. My own wife thought you were me."

"She was acting." Time countered. 

"And either way, it's still Navi right? She's not going to ban you or anything."

Time stared wearily at the black tunnel that led to what might be his dream come true, or majorly disappointing. "Yeah, ok."

Age gestured to the tunnel. "Then let's go in."

Time wearily followed Age and he strutted into the cave. Hoping against hope that Navi looked nothing like the great fairies he had come to know.

The inside also looked like a normal fairy fountain. It's color interior didn't match his current mood, but it was calming like all fountains should be. 

Age stood on the podium covered in the triforce. He instinctively reached for the Ocarina at his hip before he paused. He turned back to look at Time. "Would you like the honors?"

Time nodded. He walked to the podium, pulling his ocarina from his satchel.

"Oh and just so you know." Age added. "Play Saria's song. Not Zelda's lullaby."

Time didn't say anything, he only raised his Ocarina to his mouth, and let the Six note tune right out.

He didn't know what to expect. Loud laughter followed by a scantily clad Navi leaping out of the water? For the sake of his mental stability he hoped to Hylia and back that wasn't the case. 

"Hey!" A voice said behind him. Time whipped around to see what was behind him. 

It was Navi. Clear as day. She was bigger, almost to his chest. Dressed in a green dress with boots to match. "Do you need something stranger?" Hands on her hips she smiled at him.

Time felt his stomach sink to the floor. Navi was here. Right there, in front of him. Navi. He stumbled over his words, trying to find the right thing to say. 

Age broke the silence to He didn't have to. "Hey Navi." He greeted me. "How's it going?"

Navi notice of Age and her eyes widened in delight. "Link!" She flew to swoop him up in a hug. "You're back!" 

Age laughed and tried to peel the large fairy off of him. "Good to see you too. But I brought a friend I want to show you."

Navi glanced at Time. "I saw!" She flew back over to him. "Who are you Link's friend?"

"I- My name's Link."

"Oh my gosh! You guys have the same name! That's so cool." She turned between the two of them. "How long have you known each other?" She squinted at Time. "You even look the same. Like brothers."

"Yeah." Time faltered. Of course she wouldn't recognize him. She would never had known him. His heart beat quickly in his chest. She was *right there*. Time wanted to ask her a million things. 'Why did you leave me?' 'Where did you go?' Of course this Navi couldn't answer any of his questions. That was something he could only ask his Navi. The one that left him.

"Well you see Navi." Age started. "You remember all the talk with Zelda about timelines."

"Yeah! What about-" She stopped, mid sentence, a smile frozen on her face. Her jaw slackened as she turned her gaze to Time. The sound of the fountain was the only thing he could hear as the silence permeated the three.

The awkward silence continued. Navi stared blankly at the wall of the fountain. 

"Navi?" Age prompted. "You okay there?"

Navi didn't respond for a few more moments. "So are you. . ." She mumbled. "You're Link?" She looked up at Time. 

"Y- Yeah." He choked on the lump beginning to form in his throat. "From a different timeline."

"Which one?"

Age answered so Time didn't have to. "He's from the one where I went back. Y'know?"

"And he's."

"He's me."

Navi seemed frozen, not knowing what to do. "I'm- I'm sorry."

"What?" 

"I'm sorry." Navi apologized. Time could see her light blue cheeks darken with tears. "I should have known, I'm sorry."

"Hey hey hey, are you okay?" Time crouched down and Age drew near to her as she wiped away the tears with her wrist. Navi wrapper her arms around Time. His mind flitted out as she put her head on his shoulder. "Hey, hi." He whispered. 

"I know what I did was wrong. And I'm _sorry_ but I was confused and I didn't know what I was doing, and I was scared."

"Navi, Navi, hold up." Age held out his hands. "You know him about the timeline he's from?"

Navi sniffed, taking her head off Time's armor. "Somewhat." Time was too dumbfounded to talk at the moment. "Ever since I, y'know, got big. I got glimpses of another place. Where you," She gestured to Age. "Were small again. And I remember," She wiped away more tears. "Being scared, and confused, and I heard the great Deku tree calling and I wanted to _go home_ and I was dumb and-" She cut herself off as she broke out into sobs. "I'm so sorry Link." Time squeezed her tightly shushing her into silence.

"It's okay. I'm okay." He told her. 

"I left you _alone_. You were probably so scared." She looked up at his face, lingering on where his right eye should be. "It was a mistake."

No one really said anything for a while after that. Age watched as Navi cried into probably his best friends arms at this point. As Time rocked her, whispering that it wasn't her fault.

"How bad was it?" Navi asked. Time had held her for a while and she was somewhat calmed down. She lifted a blue hand and traced the blue spear on his forehead. "What happened."

"A _lot."_ Time smiled through his own tears. "A lot happened Navi." He glanced up at Age. "If you don't mind Age."

"No I get it, I'll leave. You can talk."

"I want you to stay, if you don't mind."

A look of surprise crossed his face. "Oh, yeah I'll be here."

"Here, want to sit down?" Time asked Navi. She nodded and so Time picked her up, holding her in his arms he sat down on the steps, letting the water of the fountain slosh over his boots. He motioned for Age to join him. 

"So, where to begin." Time launched into a story. It was about him, but he never referred to himself about in the first person. Always referring to himself as 'The boy,' or 'The kid'. He told the story about a boy trying to prove to the courts of Hyrule that a man was going to destroy Hyrule. How he only had a dream from a princess and the Kokiri emerald to back him up. How they made a bargain for the life of the Gerudo king. The life of an innocent man for the innocence of the accuser. How the boy was forced to carry out the execution, and how he disappeared for weeks after.

He told the story of looking for Navi. How the kid found himself stranded in Time. How he grew older while staying still, watching himself fail over and over again. He explained in great detail what the boy did, and how growing up with ghosts killed him more times than the moon did. He talked about a deku scrub, a goron, and zora, and a demon. How the boy won, against all odds. 

Much to the pain of both of them, he told the story of his scars, how it was all his doing, and how it was the best choice for him at the moment. How he wandered with no purpose for longer then he'd care to admit. 

"He held onto hope of better days coming." Time finished. "And when they did, he was right."

"Well damn." 

Time rolled his eyes. "You could at least try to be sympathetic."

"No, I really feel awful for you. And I'm the luckiest guy in the world for not having to go through all that. But I'm bad at words, and talking to people."

"I guessed I never moved past that then." Time remarked with a smug grin. He turned to the fairy in his lap. "Are you okay?"

She slowly shook her head buried in his chest Time's chest. "I'm sorry." She whispered once again. "I should have been there."

"I don't hold it against you. You had your reasons." 

"They weren't worth it."

"Don't say that. I have it great now." He offered. "I'm married to an amazing woman. Do you remember Malon? From the ranch? I married her as soon as she turned 19. And it's been the best decision I've ever made. And you should meet the rest of us. There are more Links wandering around too. The lines between worlds has been blurred and there are more. None of them are me, or Age. But they've been through similar things." Time chuckled. "I hope you're prepared to exercise your motherly wrath soon. Some of them are tough cookies."

Navi giggled. "I think I know how to handle tough cookies."

"Oh I know you do. I remember how many times you woke me up, you can do anything."

"Except now she can be physical about it. Imagine the possibilities." Age added. "Let's bring them all here and see what she does to em."

"That sounds like a great idea."

Navi chuckled. "You make it sound like I'm going to torture them."

"With lack of sleep? Probably." Time argued.

" _Hey_! You needed to wake up in time for that quest. It was _timed_."

"My entire life has been timed. My name is Time. Nice try."

"Nice try?" She scoffed. "I try to help you get a better sword and this is the thanks I get?"

"Hey! I did thank you. You were just to bust looked at other things and pointing out the obvious."

"It was your first quest! I wanted you to be safe!"

"I knew how to climb a tree!"

"How was I supposed to know!"

"I lived in a forest."

_“A child.”_

\---

"Was that all you wanted it to be?" Age asked as they excited the fairy fountain. 

"Maybe more I think."

"That's always good." The two of them stopped, watching Lake Hylia reflect the sun as it peaked out from behind the east. "Remember? This is where we got the fire arrows."

"I do. Right after Sheik left." 

"Ah yes, Right after our first crush left us behind to mope." Age commented.

"That is the weirdest thing you could have said, and you have ruined my nostalgia." 

Age laughed. "That's my job I think."

"I think you should resign." 

"You can think whatever you like Time. Just know that I think it as well, and still choose to say it. Now." He stretched his back, listening to the satisfying pops. "Think you're up to getting to the other side of the fence again?"

\---

"So how far do you think Age and Time are ahead of us?" Wild asked, as Twilight as he fidgeted with the map he was currently holding. 

"They should only be half a day's journey ahead." Twilight answered. "They didn't to much of a head start on us."

"Plus they're older, and Time has the speed of a dying cripple." Legend added.

"Wow, you could at least try to be nice to the guy."

"Be quiet both of you." Twilight ordered. He sounded alarmed.

"What is it furry boy?" Four asked. He was currently placed on top of the Kaise the horse. 

Twilight looked up from the map he was holding. To the group surrounding him. "I think. I think we switched Hyrule's. Without them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot?? Yes plot. Watcha gonna do?


	11. Malon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age meets Malon! Finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been waiting to write this all week. Finally living up to the malink tag on this.

“You think we’re going to catch up to them anytime soon?” Age asked as they trudged to Age’s Lon Lon ranch. 

It had been the meeting place they had agreed on. Age had assured them that the milk business owner wouldn’t mind a whole lot. But the awkwardness of meeting a different version of Time's wife made it a slightly different experience. 

"Hopefully they show their faces at all." Time agreed. "She won't think it's too weird would it?"

"Eh, who knows. Romance is weird when there's two of us. At least you technically don't have my wife."

"Technically."

In the distance Lon Lon ranches gates loomed over them. It looked so much like Time's home it took all his energy not to run towards the place and scoop his wife in his arms. Because this wasn't his home, and it wouldn't be his wife.

A redhead peaked over the gates and waved joyously at them. "Hello!" Malon called out to them. 

Age brought an arm over his head. "Hello there!"

"One second, I'll be right out!" The red blob disappeared behind the fence once again.

Age glanced at Time. "Whaddya think? Similar?"

"The exact same." 

"What?" Age questioned.

"I'd swear that was my wife."

Age chuckled. "I suppose that somethings don't change too much then."

Malon opened up the gates with a push and came stumbling through the grass to meet them in the field. "Hello dear!" She threw her arms around Time.

Time stood there for a second. Processing information. "Oh!" He realized. "You _are_ my wife!"

Malon pulled away squinting at him. "Of twelve years yes." She looked over her shoulder to Age. "Age? I presume." 

Age stood there with his mouth open, glancing between the two. "What?" He mouthed. 

"I wrote a letter." Time mouthed back. 

"Oh, makes sense." Age nodded and bowed slightly towards Malon. "Yes ma'am. I happen to be Age. We were making our way to my Lon Lon ranch but I guess we switched and didn't realize. Wait." He snapped back up. "Time we switched Hyrules."

"Yeah?"

"Without the boys."

Time's eye widened. "Oh shit." He breathed. 

Malon shared a look of horror. "You left them? Where are they?" 

"No clue."

"Alright here. Come inside and get yourself situated. We can figure it out over dinner."

\---

Honestly? Bless his loving and patient wife. She was so amazing. Malon acted as if Age was just another Link. Time thanked his decision to send the information in a letter. It was the night after meeting Age that he spent his time writing a letter to his wife.

Malon said nothing about Age's home. She chatted with him about his journey with Time and what they had done with the boys. Age was animatedly telling her about his day out with Wind. Where the two of them had messed with various shopkeepers and scammed a few other people. Malon laughed and commented about various parts of the story. 

"I knew he was a little trouble maker that one. He was messing around with the cucoos and threw one at the Link with the cape. Cloud?"

"Sky." Time confirmed. 

"Sky, sorry." She corrected. "He tried to throw one at Sky but apparently they don't attack him like they do the rest of us. So the effect bounced and rebounded, as one would say."

Age chuckled at the thought. "He's a little snot that one. Reminds me of myself when I was a kid."

"So what? Four years ago?"

"If you would be so kind as to not poke fun at my endless youth. That would be nice."

Time shrugged, his armor now laying strewn across the floor instead of his shoulders. "Just saying. You chose to look younger."

"Not by that much."

"I'd say five years is a bit much."

"Who said five?"

"Dear don't interrogate him." Malon smiled. "I'm sure he'd say something if he wanted to."

"Don't worry Mal, he's me but he's Seventeen inside."

"I am _not_ Seventeen." 

"I never said Seventeen."

Age glared at him. ". . . You just did."

"Did I?" Time mused. "Or are you imagining things in your young age."

"Keep talking like that old man and I'll tell everyone how old you are."

"You know nothing."

"Oh yeah? You don't even know how old I am?"

"Thirty-Two."

"First, screw you. Second, I meant mentally you old coot." 

After some more banter Malon shrugged and gave up trying to intervene. It was all in good fun.

"What I want to know. Is why aren't we the same age physically? Why are you two years older than me?" Age pondered. "Was there a reason? Could they not wait Two years on my end."

Time sipped from his cup of coffee and stared straight at his younger self from a different Timeline. "Because if you were older. People might think you were responsible."

"You are _such_ a dick. Did you know?"

"Only at home."

Malon butt in. "He's just senile. It's his old age getting to him." She happily continued stirring her pot of pumpkin soup.

"Wifey." Time whined. "You're supposed to be on my side. Not his."

"Well I don't see his wife here. Someone needs to stand up for him. I don't just sit and watch children get bullied."

Age sighed. "Oh for the love of all things holy. Call me Seventeen one more time I dare you."

"Baby."

"I am going to punch you."

Malon shook her head. 

"I'd punch back, but I'm not into child abuse."

"Alright! That's it." Age stood up. "Get up Time I'm throwing you." 

Time stood up as well. "Good luck."

"Take it outside!" Malon called. "Winner gets cake." 

"Loser have to tell the other their age." Age added.

"I already know how old you are."

"I swear to Hylia if you say seventeen-"

"You're seventeen."

Age stalked out of the house, grabbing Time's shoulder on the way out. He dragged the older man outside to the horse track. "Jokes on you old man, I'm all fueled up on pumpkin soup."

"Jokes on you so am I."

"Oh so we still have the same favorite food?"

"No, I like cucoo noodle soup."

"Ew, disgusting."

"Oh." Time paused. "You're still vegetarian aren't you?"

"Yeah. Greens only."

"Huh, I forgot that. Kinda had to eat meat in Termina, protein and all that. Gross at first, it grew on me."

"Like a fungus."

"Shut up."

Dusk was setting upon them, and the warm breeze that swarmed them combined with the sound of screaming cicadas set a peaceful mood. To bad it was going to be destroyed by Time absolutely thrashing his counterpart.

Age stopped moving as soon as they reached the stone shed at the very back of the farm. "So what are the rules? Leg wrestling? Good old respectable fighting? What about-" He was cut off as Time kicked his shin.

"What the f-" Age shouted. Time lunged at him and body slammed him, knocking the air out of him. They hit the ground and tumbled around in the dirt.

"Why are you like this." Age wheezed.

"Talk shit get hit." Time replied.

Age grunted and tried to throw Time off of him. “Of course you’d fight dirty.” 

“Why not?”

“Oh I don’t know. Honor?” Age stuck his fingers into Time’s side, causing him to recoil. He took advantage of the moment and threw Time off of him. He quickly got up and pulled on his offenders leg. Time struggled to break free as Age lifted him up upon his back. 

“What are you doing?” Time grunted through gritted teeth. 

“I don’t know! I don’t fight dirty!” Age panicked. “What am I doing?”

Time sighed. “I can’t believe- You have me in a compromised position. I’m on your back. Fall down from your back and make me take the fall.”

“Ok?” Age still with Time’s foot in his hand threw himself backward, so now Time was on the ground with Age sitting on top. 

“Fall not throw.” Time heaved. 

“Sorry.”

"Now what?" 

"Do you think I want you to win?"

"No?"

"Damn straight." Time elbowed Age's back forcing him to get off of him. He lifted Age by his arms and threw Age far from himself. "I'm not letting you win."

"I'd like to see you try and win a clean fight."

"Sounds boring." Time strolled to stand over Age, placing his hands on his hips, staring down at the younger man. "So do I win?"

Age closed his eyes and let himself rest on the dirt. "Maybe." 

"So yes?"

" _Yes_."

"Good." Time lent a hand to help him up. Age took it and tried to pull him down with him. Time didn't budge. "Nice try." Time offered. "But you really think I wouldn't see that coming?"

"It was worth a try."

"Come on. Let's get back inside." Time turned to head back to the ranch. 

"What? You're not going to help me up?"

"You're young. Figure it out."

\---

"Who won?" Malon asked as Time entered the living room. 

"Well I think Age is going to stay outside a bit longer."

Malon hummed in response. "He reminds me of you."

Time leaned down to kiss his wife on the temple. "I'd hope so. He's me after all."

"It's interesting."

"I'd say." He sat down next to Malon. She positioned herself to lean her head against his chest and continue reading her book. "What are you reading?" He pointed to her green backed book.

"I'm not sure yet. I think it's fiction."

"You think?"

"Like I said. I'm not sure. So far the main character has fought a bear with his bare hands." 

"That's not impossible."

"Oh I know dear. But he also has a harem of four girls already. I'm on chapter six of twenty."

"That's also not impossible." 

Malon sighed and gazed at him. "Yes but he's not you."

"I mean he could be." Time defended. 

"No, he doesn't seem as childish."

"Childish?"

"Link you just roughed up yourself from a different timeline. You aren't the most mature person I've met."

Time forced a small frown on his face. "But you know how old I am Mal."

"Which is why it's surprising."

Time wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. "Alright. But just don't let the boys know."

"Speaking of them. Do you think you'll be able to find them?" Genuine worry filled her voice as she asked.

Time breathed a sigh and rested his head on her shoulder. "I don't know. I didn't think this would happen. Hopefully the also switched here, and are on there way here thinking that it's Age's Malon they're meeting."

"Hopefully. But if they aren't?"

"Then we go looking for them. I know they'll be fine, but I don't want to leave them alone."

Age took that moment to stumble inside the house. "Hey." He greeted. A bruise was starting to form on the left side of his face, right under his eye. "Look, we almost match." 

"Almost."

\---

Night at the ranch was here. Time was getting Age situated in the guest room. 

"How long do you think we'll stay?" Age said as he was looking for the extra blankets under his bed.

"A day. If the boys are in this Hyrule they'll get here by then."

"And if they're not?"

"Then I'll do something I haven't done in a while."

"What's that?"

"Pray."

\---

"Where the _fuck_ are we?" Legend gazed around the area they were currently in. It was an Ocean area and they heard gulls cry from not far away. 

"Language." Twilight warned.

"Oh be quiet. We'll find Time soon enough, stop trying to be like him."

"I'm not-" Twilight cut himself off. "We need to figure out where we are."

"That's what I'm trying to do."

"You're not helping."

"Well it's not like you're getting anything done."

Hyrule placed his hand on Legends shoulder. "I think we're getting a little too uptight. Let's just keep going and see if we recognize the place."

Legend rolled his eyes and went back to exploring the area. Hyrule glanced at Twilight. "You're doing good Twi." He reassured. 

"Thanks." He said numbly. It was an odd feeling knowing Time wasn't here. Or Age. Time had been the last one to join their group, twice. But that wasn't the plot of this story. Time was so fundamental and the last time he was gone for longer than a day was before Time had even joined, and Warriors was the leader. Twilight didn't like missing the only responsible member of their group. 

There were some ornate stairs sitting in the sand leading uphill. Twilight wanted to go check them out. "Who wants to go up there with me?" He asked.

Sky perked up from where he was sitting . "I'll go with you." He volunteered.

"Alright. Anyone else?" No one else responded so he shrugged and turned to Sky. "Well let's not take too long. We might switch Hyrules without them." He joked.

Sky flashed him a comforting smile and followed Twilight up the stairs. 

At the top of the stairs leading away from the sand there was a large green field. Twilight could see mountains to his left. "Recognize anything yet?" He asked.

"Well I think I would notice if we were in the sky."

"True." In front by almost a hundred feet or so stood a large wall leading to a town. It looked like the central hub of the valley. Birds flew around the wall as some swooped down, nipping at the various spots on grass.

“Should we go in?” Sky offered.

“Nowhere else is there.” Twilight shrugged. He pursued forward and entered the town. 

Laughter was the first thing he heard upon entering the town. A guard stood at his post, silently nodding at them as they entered. The laughter came from three boys playing tag around the stairwell leading downward. Above them, almost as tall as the walls themselves, stood a massive clock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify, Time is physically 34. And Age is 32. 
> 
> I will not say their mental ages. Mainly because we don't know Time's age. But one person has managed to correctly guess Age's.


	12. Termina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are in Termina!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go! Please don't be mad at me!

Upon further investigation, they were not in Hyrule at all. A worrying discovery. Sky had made sure to ask the lady at the bank multiple times to make sure. Each time she confirmed that yes, they had never heard of a place called Hyrule. 

Great sautes of owl's placed themselves around the town. Staring down the two of the them as they prowled the town. They asked everyone they crossed if they knew about surrounding lands by the name of Hyrule. The answers were mixed and muddled, there were answers along the lines of 'Ikana's strange power' and the questionable glares. 

"Are we crazy? Am I crazy?" Twilight asked Sky. "How are we not in Hyrule." Sky shrugged and placed a hand on Twilight's shoulders. Twilight groaned, head in his hands as he and Sky sat on a bench outside of a shop called ' _ honey and darling _ ’. "I can't believe we're this lost."

"It happens sometimes." Sky comforted him and patted Twilight. "We didn't plan this. But if Hylia want's us separated then we just have to deal with her."

Twilight sighed. "Yeah, we don't have much of a choice do we? Let's go get the others. Find an Inn if we can." He pushed himself up. Beckoning for Sky to follow him. "We came from the West right? Or was it East?" 

Sky shrugged. "I'm bad at directions as you are. Let's exit and circle around till we find the beach."

"Let's try that then."

\---

"Back! Off! No stop, get out! Gross!" Wind shouted. He was batting off the gaping maws growing up out of the sand. His sword poked them, making the flesh shrink down. "This beach is the worst." He complained.

"It could be worse." Four commented, he too was swinging his sword casually to slice some of them. "These things are good for keeping myself not bored."

"They're disgusting that's what." Legend laid out on top of the sandstone steps. Arm covering his face as he plotted a way out of this mess. Was there a way to force yourself out of Hyrule? Was this someone new? Hylia bless them if they have to make this group Eleven people big. If they switched then what if Age and Time came with them. Maybe they were stuck somewhere around in this land. This begged the question, are there spots in Hyrule that force you to switch, like invisible portals? Or do they stay the same and the world changes no matter what they do. 

Legend stopped thinking about that, it made his head hurt. They had only been in this new Hyrule for almost four hours but it was long enough to make his head spin with questions, and he wouldn't admit it, worry as well. Worry about what they would do.

"Ok so!" Twilight announced from the top of the stairs. Legend took his arm off of his face to gaze at him and Sky. "We are not in Hyrule. At all."

"Repeat that?" Wild asked. 

"Not in a Hyrule. Or any Hyrule. This place is called Termina, and no one here has ever heard of Hyrule, Zelda, Triforce, or Hylia."

"You're kidding me." Legend groaned. "You have got to be kidding me."

"He's not." Sky confirmed. 

"Fuck."

"What's the town up there like then?" Hyrule questioned. "You were gone for a while, did you find anything interesting?"

Twilight descended the stairs, stopping once he reached the bottom. "It's surrounded by a wall, called Clocktown. The place is almost a Maze. We haven't found a place to sleep, but there's everything there. I'd be surprised if there wasn't something."

Legend stood up, trudging past Twilight and Sky. "Then what are we waiting for? I need a nap."

Finding an Inn was simple enough. It sat snugly between an entrance to the central plaza and stairs leading to an upper level.  _ Stock Pot Inn _ The sign read. Two floors of solid oak. Twilight and the others ducked underneath the door and entered. A bell rang out, signalling the arrival of a customer, or several in this case. 

An older woman stood attentive at the counter. Age evident on her face. Red hair tied up in a tight bun on the top of her head. "Hello there young sirs." She greeted. 

Twilight nodded at her. "Eight of us, we need to a place for the next week or so." The women frowned. Wrinkles pulled down. 

"Eight. That's quite a lot. I'll see what my daughter can do." She gathered herself and left the small counter to call someone in the kitchen. "Anju dear, there is a group here." They heard her. 

"Mother why didn't you call me in right away. Here could you take care of the potatoes?" The women named Anju left the kitchen entering the room where the party stood. Her eyes widened at the sight of such a large group. "Oh my," she muttered.

Sky grimaced, nodding in apology. "I'm sorry there are so many of us."

"No, it's not much of a big deal." She waved them off. Anju looked similar to her mother, she was around her early forties, slim and determined written on her face. "We've dealt with large groups before. You all are welcome here but-" She paused as her eyes fell on Wind. "We might not have enough room for you all. We're in the middle of a busy season. The carnival of Time is in a few days as you would know, as well as moon day. We might be able to house most of you if you don't mind sharing beds." 

"We can find another place if you need, we might just get one room to keep our equipment as we explore this place." Sky explained. "One room is fine if you're cramped for space."

Anju nodded. She knelt down, shuffling around for a room key. She grabbed one labeled  _ 383 _ , handing it for Sky to take. He slid rupees across the counter to her waiting palm. "What's the name to go with the room?" She asked.

Sky glanced around looking for suggestions. "Sk-" He was interrupted by Wind.

"Link!" He chimed in. "So we don't get confused on who's name is on it."

Anju dropped the room key on the floor.

"Oh my goodness I'm so sorry." She bent down to pick it up. "It's been a long time since I heard that name in particular. You just look so similar."

A hush fell across the group. "You've met someone named Link?" Warriors asked. "When."

Anju shook her head. "It was a long time ago. It's nothing to bring up now. Let's get you that room now why don't we?" She forced a smile for them.

"If you insist."

The room was small, but it made a good place to settle down and talk about what came next.

"So no more splitting up?" Hyrule suggested. His comment wringing a few chuckles out of the group. Stress was coming for them all.

"Maybe." Twilight added. "We're somewhere new. Time and Age could be here as well. We need to figure out where we are."

"We don't have to worry about Time and Age." Warriors commented. "That lady back there recognized a Link. None of us have been here before. This should be Time's adventure that separates him from Age."

"You think that because?" Wind started.

"Because the only other option is another Link is joining the group. Besides, we know Time had another adventure, if it was in Hyrule then Twilight would know what it was because descendant and all that." 

The thought of another person in their group was straining. Time might have knowledge, if he were here that is.

"Well we can't all sleep in this one bed. What do we do?" Wind gestured to the bed holding all of their gear. 

"Well Sky thought it would be a great idea to get a single room to leave our stuff in, now we have to find somewhere else to sleep and have two locations to switch between." Warriors huffed. 

"Look, no one stopped me and I didn't want to suddenly leave the Inn women." Sky defended. "But we can get a refund if you want."

"No, we already gave her the money, now we just need to find somewhere to actually sleep." 

"So we split up?" Four suggested. "There is no way this gets worse as is so I don't see a downside."

"We. . . You know what? Sure, why the hell not!" Twilight said in exasperation. 

"You okay Twi?" Hyrule asked. 

"No Hy' we are all very much not okay. We are split up from the only person in this group who would have any idea what's going on, and I'm stressed."

"Alright then. You calm down and I take care of things." Four suggested. He stood up from where he was crouching on a stool. "We split into Two groups. Wind in one and Wild in the other so we can contact each other in case of emergency, or one of us finds something or someplace, or  _ someone _ . Sounds good?"

A murmur of yes' chorused between them. "Alright, Twi, War, Wind and Leg are in group number one. And you," He pointed to them as he named them. "Wild, Hyrule, Sky are with me in group number twi. One goes south, Two goes north."

Group One headed off in the north direction, passing through the gate, a guard stopped them. "Hold on there, we can't let a child pass through. These fields are dangerous to children."

"Kid?" Wind spluttered. "I'm fourteen you prick, I'll dice your toes." He unsheathed his sword in a mock attempt to cut the man.

"A sword?" The Guard asked in surprise, not surprised by the threats of bodily harm apparently. "If you are responsible enough to wield a sword you can protect yourself." He stood aside to let them pass. 

"Fucking prick." Wind mumbled as they continued outward. "No kids allowed my ass." 

"Calm down Wind. Man's just trying to do his job."

"I get that he has a job, but really? A kid accompanied by three older people should be enough." Wind scoffed. "Let's find Age soon, hope he and Time aren't hopelessly lost."

"I told you, they might not be here, and if they were, this might be Time's time. So if anything, they find us." Warriors pointed out. 

Mountains stood right in front of them. Tall and dusted with snow. They were at the lip of a small wall, below them was a snow blanketing the ground surrounded with large mushrooms. The drop was estimated to be fifty or so feet. 

"Should we go down? Try to get to the mountains?"Legend suggested. "The field has a fuckton of grottos, we could check and see if Time and Age landed themselves in one of em."

"While I don't think they're in a grotto, we should investigate where we can." Twilight said. "Now we need to find a way to safely get down there. Any of us have rope?"

"The jump doesn't look too bad. Especially with the snow." Wind shrugged. "We would be fine enough." he climbed over the lip as Twilight protested. "I'll be fine, watch." Wind let himself plop down and into the blanket of white below.

"Wind!" Twilight grasped at the edge staring down into where Wind had fallen. The boy was currently sunken into a snowbank, his head poking out of the snow. 

"I'm great!" He called up. "Don't jump if you're old though, I think I almost twisted my ankle."

Legend shoved rope into Twi's hands. "Wrap it around the boulder to our right, I'm taking the short way down." He jumped off after Wind before Twilight could tell him not to.

"Children, literal children, all of you." Twilight glanced up at Warriors, intending to ask him to help him tie the knots, but he wasn't there. "What the," He turned around looking for his missing companion. 

"Down here!" Warriors shouted. Twilight sighed knowing exactly where Warriors was. Checking only confirmed. The three stood at the bottom of the snowbank, dusted head to toe with the white powder. 

"Quit being Time and join us!" Legend shouted, hands cupped around his mouth. 

"Yeah! Pull an Age!"

Twilight stared at them in disbelief. Really? Was he the only person here with a brain? And pull an Age? What did that mean? He sighed in defeat and threw the rope, unattached to the ground, he followed suit of the others and lifted himself over the edge and let himself fall. 

The snow did make a fun place to land. He would have to admit. Being the most warmly dressed the snow itself didn't bother him much. 

"Have fun?" Legend asked.

"As much fun as one can have when falling fifty feet because his childish companions goaded him into it."

"You are such a downer, did you know?"

"Only when I need to be."

"Guys look!" Wind exclaimed, pointing to the wall they had just jumped off. On the back of the wall was carved a music bar, a few notes spread along it. "What do you think that is?" 

"It looks like some notes." Legend said dryly. 

"Well I know that, but I wonder what it sounds like. You think if Age were here he'd play em for us?"

"Time can read notes as well." Warriors pointed out. 

"Yeah but Age plays his ocarina more." 

"Whatever guys, we just need to look around. These mountains aren't gonna explore themselves." Legend turned to trudge up the small hill leading to the gap of the mountains entrance.

\---

So south they went. Into the unknown land of What The Fuck Are We Even Doing. With Four at the head they traversed to the outer side of the wall, only after trouble with the guard thinking Four was a child. The field looked similar to Hyrule's field, but only because it was green. 

Green Chu Chu's splunked around on the green of the field close to the tall grass. Poles serving no real purpose covered the field, seemingly directing them to the marshy area closed off by trees. A chu chu got a bit too close to the group. Wild drew his sword and sliced the jellied body in half. "These look like regular chu chu's bastard sons."

"I'm sorry what?" Sky questioned. 

"You know, chu chu's but a whole lot worse." Wild explained. "Look, these have teeth."

"That's disgusting."

"I know right? Wonder if they taste different based on color."

"You're disgusting."

"You're both talkin about chu chu's so this conversation has to stop before I puke." Four butted in. "Now are we going to the marsh?"

"Is there anywhere else that's not there? Marsh means bugs, I don't like bugs." Hyrule added. "See over there." He pointed to where some colorful flags stood around an opening in the rock. "That looks like a place that's not a marsh. Let's go that way."

"Sounds good to me."

"So. . . You think Time and Age are havin a blast not having kids with them?" Hyrule asked, trying to start some conversation in their smaller group. 

"Perhaps," Sky responded. "Time might worry some, I don't know much about our other companion to guess."

"From the vibes I get from him, I just imagine he's tryin his best." Wild added. "He's pretty chill though, might be helping the old man not lose it completely."

Four sprinted ahead seeing that the destination wasn't far ahead. Reaching the poles soon enough, he stopped to read the entrance sign, waiting for the others to catch up. "They have a racetrack here!" He called. 

"Racetrack?" Wild repeated as he caught up to Four. "That all?"

"No, a ranch as well."

"A ranch? Do you think they would let us stay if we paid them some?" Hyrule asked. 

"We can't count on every farmer being Malon, but we can see."

There was a narrow passage between the carved stone walls leading to the ranch, it looked as if it would barely fit 5 horses side by side, tight fit for a wagon at some parts. They reached a fork in the path. One sign pointed to the right, it was labeled  _ Romani Ranch _ while the one pointing left read  _ Gormon Brothers Race Track _ . 

"We can check out the race track later, but we should see if the ranch can give us a place to rest." Four told them. "As much as none of us like it, sleep takes priority."

"I like sleep." Sky mumbled. 

"We know Sky, but Hyrule doesn't so I'm compromising." Four explained.

"And Legend." Hyrule added. "Time doesn't sleep till late as well, and Twilight."

"I was using you as an example because you were here Hy' I didn't mean you were the only person here who doesn't sleep."

"Oh."

Entering the Ranch itself was pleasant. It was the familiar smell of hay and grass. Looking out they could all see a ranch house with multiple barns surrounding it. Cucoos roamed the field, standing in the field was a lady feeding them, her bright red hair evident in the light of the noonday sun. It looked remarkably like. . . 

"Malon?" Wild asked. 

The lady looked up. _ It was Malon _ . "Well I'll be damned." She chuckled. "I didn't think I'd hear that name again. May I help you?"

\---

"You know, ever since we got to that beach it got me thinkin." Wind started. They were close up the mountain, snow covering their boots. 

"Thinkin on what?" Warriors asked. He was very much not enjoying the wind rolling down the mountain whipping through his blonde hair and leaving it tousled on his face.

"Lobby."

"Lobby? The lobster Age got you?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, I was thinkin about where he is right now. Ever since we dropped him off with Aryll I've been wondering if he's good." 

"I don't see why he wouldn't."

"I guess. But you heard the Inn lady right? There's a carnival of Time, and one of the moon to boot! If Age were here I think he'd take us all out like he did me and we could wreak havoc."

"Well lets hope we find them soon, or they find us, or we leave this place, whatever." Twilight pulled up his hood to cover his face. "Let's stop for a moment, do you have warm clothes Wind?" He pointed them towards a strip on snow free land. 

"I think I have something. . . I got a scarf at some point."

"I'll lend you something if you need. What about you Legend? Legs getting cold?"

"Twilight, I am sweating bullets in these layers."

"Alright."

Wind pulled a scarf from his bag. "I got this one in Age's Hyrule, I bought it from a girl who was knitting on the stairs. I don't know what she was doing there but Age told me she knits in her free time, usually around the main room too, he said he didn't know why though."

"Hmmmm cool." Warriors acknowledged as he re-positioned his scarf across his face and neck. 

"So Anju said that the Goron village was at the top. It should be warmer up top she said. For some reason.” Twilight puzzled. “Should be colder at the top but I’ll take her word for it.” 

“We’ll see when we get there, but what do the Gorons have for us?” Legend pushed. 

“We’re found less for the Gorons themselves, and more for the discovery and seeing if the grownups are there.” 

“Let’s hope they are, Your attempts and parenting are getting a bit humorous and a bit sad.” Legend commented. 

“Wow, thanks Legend.” 

“I’m happy to help.” 

“I hope they are here somewhere, I want to celebrate this carnival with Age.”

“Wind.” Warriors sighed. “If you talk about Age one more time I think I’ll scream. Say his name one more time I  _ fucking dare you. _ ”

“What?” Wind asked, stunned. 

“No I’m talking about this right now.” Warriors covered his mouth with his scarf and tried to continue on, stooped my Twilight’s hand on his shoulder.

“Sorry Cap but we’re not going to let you say that then not explain. Yourself.”

“So it’s a crime to not like someone now?” Warriors stated rolling his eyes. 

“What?” Wind repeated himself. 

“Well no? It’s not a crime but I think if we’re having problems with someone in the group we talk it out and don’t stomp away like children.” 

“Funny you bring up Age and then tell me not to act like a child.”

“Stop with the bullshit and state your problem.”

Legend groaned. “Guys this is the dumbest thing we could talk about right now. Can we continue this later?”

“Shut up Legend.” Warriors quipped.

“I don’t like Age.” He stared. “He was cool enough at the start, but I can’t stand him.”

“Do you want to explain why instead of bitching then? I want to leave.” Legend countered. 

“Don’t you see it?” Warriors said in exasperation. “The man skipped puberty for god's sake. He’s literally a child in a man's body. And I’m not saying it’s his fault. But mentally I’d barely rank him higher then Wind.”

“But Time thinks!-“ Wind tried to interrupt but was double interrupted by Warriors ranting still. 

“Look,” Warriors sighed. “I don’t care what Time thinks about Age. He’s biased.”

“What?”

“What does Time have to do about this?” Twilight asked defensively. 

“Everything, Fucking everything. Because Time, to our understanding, never got to grow up and actually be a kid. So here along comes literally himself but still a kid, and Time eats it right up. He’s getting a chance to see himself if he wasn’t so fucking traumatized as a child. The downside is he lets things slide. Remember when you and Age ran away together to have fun and came back later with a lobster?” 

“Ok maybe that was a bit over the top.” Wind admitted. 

“Exactly. It was a dick move that kept us all up. But instead of getting after Age for failing to be responsible, her let it slide because he can’t bring himself to ‘be mean to himself.’”

"Oh my god can we stop with the bitching." Legend groaned into his hands. "We get it, he's flawed, no need to drag him through the dirt in front of Wind like this."

"Don't get me started on Wind."

"What!" The boy shouted. "What did I do?"

Twilight held up his hands. "I'm stopping this right now. All of you shut up. Warriors," He turned to the fuming soldier. "Stop before you say something you regret. If you haven't already." He added. 

"I've barely started. Remember that he's a King? Yeah neither does he."

"That's going a bit far-"

"No! He just left a recovering Hyrule to prance around with us. He said himself that they were stretched thin with the extra monster influx. Do you understand how open they are for attack?"

"If you didn't have your head so stuck up your own ass you'd remember he said as much when we first asked him to come with us." Legend sighed and got up. "I'm done. Keep looking up the mountain you two, Wind and I are going back to town. Or somewhere else, I don't know."

"Alright." Twilight nodded. "Probably for the best."

"Come on Wind, let's get going." Legend marched down gesturing for the boy to follow him. Wind did, hurriedly wiping his eyes as he left with Legend down the mountain side.

As soon Legend and Wind were out of earshot, Twilight turned to Warriors who stood there indignantly. 

"First off, what the fuck. Second, talk while you walk because we want to reach this Goron village before midday."

Warriors followed him in silence until he felt ready to talk. "He’s childish."

"So is Wind and Wild."

"He got off easy."

"Easy? You remember he fought Ganon right?" Twilight argued.

"Time didn't get off easy."

Twilight stopped in his tracks, turning to look at Warriors. "You're angry on Time's behalf? What kind of twisted logic is that?"

"Talk while we walk, remember?" Warriors passed him. Twilight rolled his eyes and followed. "And maybe I am Twi. Because I met Time when he was a kid."

"So you've mentioned." 

"Yeah, but he was more messed up in the head then you could imagine."

"I can imagine." He countered.

"Anyway, Age got it easy compared to Time."

"That doesn't make Age a bad person."

"No, but I can resent him for it." 

"Well-"

"But you understand right? Time had a whole other adventure to complete, he lost his eye, probably a lot of himself. But after kicking Ganon to the curb, Age rebuilds Hyrule and his biggest struggle in life is being too much of a child to make a responsible choice."

Twilight tried to think of something to counter Warriors argument. Thought's of Hero shade came to mind. Time had died with so much regret he kept himself alive until he could find Twilight. Age, well no one knows how Age was gonna die. 

"See? You can't tell me I'm wrong here."

"You're right I can't, but I don't think it's fair to blame him for it."

Warriors and Twilight continued talking about their opinions on Age until they reached the top. Twilight couldn't get the image of Hero Shade out of his head. How would Age die? Wind told no story of being mentored by a friendly skeleton, but to be fair Twilight was and he never talked about it.

True enough it was actually warmer on top. There was green grass on top, a freshwater river flowed across sounding as if there were no care in the world. Twilight paused to let the sun shine on his face, pulling down his furs he basked in the warmth of the sun.

\---

The journey down the mountain and into Clocktown was uneventful and silent. If Wind shed a few tears Legend didn't mention it, he kept his eyes straight ahead and waited for Wind to start talking. Because a universal constant was that Legend never said the first word. 

The guard let them in no problem. Legend wordlessly navigated the town. Wind behind him. 

"You sure know your way around this place." Wind sniffed. "Did you get a map?"

"No, I'm just good with directions."

"Oh."

Legend found a small stand next to a bomb shop in the west part of the town. He traded a few rupees for two cups of whatever the hell they were selling, and handed one to Wind. "Find a place to sit, we gotta eat."

"Thanks." Wind accepted the cup of  _ whatever _ . Holding it in both of his hands he sat down on the stairs spread around the alleyway. He took a sip and immediately smiled. 

"What?" Legend asked, unnerved by the sudden smile.

"It's fizzy."

"Really?" Legend sat next to the boy and took a swig from his own cup. It was fizzy, yes, but it was also sweet. It was thick like milk. Fizzy ice cream? Not bad.

They sat together feeling the sun beat down on their heads as they drank their fizzy milkshakes. 

"Alright kid, spill. What's bothering you."

"I think you have a solid guess." He replied.

"I do, but I want to hear you say it."

Wind sighed and rested his head on his knees. "I don't know. I just feel bad."

"Why."

"Because Warriors talked shit about Age."

"And that makes you feel bad because?" Legend prompted.

"Because it's not true! And he's the only one to think that! And he's wrong."

"Well hold on now, I completely agree with Warriors." Legend stated. "I'm just not an asshole."

"You too?" Wind asked. 

"Warriors had some valid points, Age act's young, and he is. He also said that he ditched his kingdom, which he kinda did."

"But you!"

"You're right, I was the one to bully him into it, so I can't hold that against him. Plus if I found an alternate version of myself and eight other reincarnations of myself, I don't think I'd care if I were the king of the world. I'd want to spend time with you guys."

"You would?"

"Don't get cocky, but. . ." Legend took another sip. "Age is flawed, like all of us. Just so happens that his flaws bug War a bit too much."

"Yeah. But he's a good guy. He hasn't done anything to piss Warriors off." 

"Yes, but. Now don't take this the wrong way buddy, but you do talk about him a lot."

"So?" Wind scrunched his face. "Twilight talks a lot about Time."

"I don't recall the last time Twi talked about Time for the sake of talking. You have a bit of a hero worshiping thing going on."

"Yeah but-"

"Wind, listen bud. No one was gonna tell you this, we were gonna wait until you figured it out yourself, but I think I'll break it to ya."

". . . Break what?"

Legend sighed. "The chance that Age dies while he's travelling with us is almost guaranteed."

Wind stared in horror at Legend. "W- What?"

Legend closed his eyes tilting his head to the sky. "Your Hero of Time, Age. You should know this."

"Know what?" Wind asked. Scared to know the answer. 

"You remember your Hero of Time right? Remember what you told us about him? That one day he left, and never came back. Well he's already left with us. Now he just needs to fail at getting back."

"Stop." Wind mumbled, tears rolling down his face. "Please."

"We thought it was because he left to live as Time right? But then here comes Age. Your Hero of Time. Looking back we should really have pushed him to stay, but it can't be helped right? Fate is fate."

"Stop." 

"I put it together a few weeks ago when we stopped at your place to drop of Lobby. I think Time and Warriors put it together as well. Truth is, Age is almost as big a failure as the Hero of Time that died fighting Ganon and left me in this mess. Only less so because he actually won the damn fight."

"Legend. Please shut up." Wind cried. 

Legend glanced at Wind, saw him wiping away tears at his face. "Fuckin hell, don't cry." He let one hand wrap around Wind and pull him close. "I know this is all depressing, and this is why we wanted to let you figure it out by yourself. But I just thought you should have known."

"Well thanks, made me feel a lot better."

"I'm not trying to comfort you, but if you need a hug I can give you one."

"Yeah. I would."

"Alright, come 'er kid." Legend pulled the weeping kid on his lap, though little was relative. And let Wind cry on his shoulder until he felt better. Which would hopefully be soon, but he wouldn't force him. 

It was worrying enough to him that Age wasn't with them right now, hopefully if something happened Time could possibly hold back fate for a bit. Wouldn't be the bastards first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're all mad at me aren't you?


	13. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We pick up with group 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 updates in 2 days? Unheard of. Expect more.

After some stiff introductions. The Ranch women, Romani, not Malon. Ushered the boys inside her house, sitting them down at her table and handing them each a slice of meat and bread for them to snack on. 

"Now are you boys going to tell me what you all are doing here?" She asked them once they had had their fill. "And I'd like to hear who this Malon gal is, it's been a while since I heard about her."

Four puzzled as he stared at the women, glancing at her and the table. "Well." He started. "We're new here, and were looking for a place to sleep, the inn was full. We were wondering if we paid you, or traded for work we might stay in your barn."

Romani considered the group sitting at her table. "Well I don't see nothing wrong with that. You all seem like fine young men to the best of my understanding. Here," She stuck out her hand towards Four. "I'm Miss Romani of Romani Ranch, I live and work here with my older sister and James the farmhand. You all can call me Miss Romani, or Mani if it suits your favor."

It was unnerving having someone that looked, sounded, and acted exactly like Malon, not be Malon. They were almost identical, down to the yellow scarf around the neck. Four took her hand and shook it. "I'm Four, the rest are Sky, Wild and Hyrule." He introduced them one by one. "We come from Hyrule."

Romani smiled, pulling back her hand. "Boy you remind me of someone. Ever met a young man named Link?"

"Maybe," Four answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh nothing much." Miss Romani grinned. "Just that I once met someone who called himself Link, called me Malon a bunch, and told me he came from a place called Hyrule. Now I don't mean to pry but seeing as you have called me Malon, and come from a place I dare say I nare heard of, I reckon you'd know the guy."

Four glanced between Sky Wild, and Hyrule. Their eyes were as wide as his at the new information presented to them. ". . . Well I wouldn't say he was a boy anymore. More around your age. . . But yeah. . . We know a guy like that."

Romani flashed them a trademark Malon smile. "Well I'm glad to hear the fool got home sooner or later. Last time I saw him we both could sing higher than the birds could chirp."

"Uhuh." Four nodded. Time to put the information together. This world was Time's second adventure, just as Warriors had predicted. Time had been to Romani Ranch, and also mistook this mysterious doppelganger to be Malon. And Miss Romani was going to be a great source for information. 

"We actually, are looking for him at the moment. We were traveling in a group." Four paused, looking at the others, searching for some kind of incentive to keep talking. "He and another friend of ours are lost, and we think he might be here somewhere, or close by. If he were here. . . Do you think you know where he would be?"

Miss Romani frowned, seeming to roll his words over in her head. "That questions a tough one. See he was always at three places at once, and I only knew him for two days, so he spent a lot of time here, but I've heard that while he was helping deliver milk with my older sister, he was also in the mountains bringin water to the sandy canyon. And other people say that he was in the swamp saving some old hags at that same  time as well." She shook her head. "No I can't sat for sure where he would be, cept everywhere at once."

"Oh, alright thank you."

"Well don't be such a downer, you said there were more of you? Bring em over and I'll see what I can do for all of ya."

\--- 

"Well You done crying now?" Legend asked Wind where he hung on his arm. "Not to push you off or anything, but we do have some things to get done before night falls."

Wind pulled back, wiping the last tears that fell from his face away. Angry huffs coming out of him. "Yeah I think I'm good." 

Thankfully no one had bothered to question why two boys were sitting on the stairs, comforting a crying one. But it was time to get up and move on. Find someplace to check out. Anything really. 

"Well? East? North? Back to the Inn? Where do you plan on going- nevermind." Legend stopped talking at the Sheikah stone on Wind's chest began to glow faintly. Wind took notice and grabbed the stone, holding it up to him mouth. 

"This is Windy boy reporting. Come is arson."

Wild's voice could be heard faintly from the glowing pendent. "Hey Windy boy this is Arson. We've found a place for the night, and a gold mine of information. Come as soon as you can to Lon Lon- I mean Romani Ranch. Just south of Termina field, giant poles marking the place, hard to miss."

"Be there soon. Windy boy out." Wind let the pendent drop and stood there with Legend.

\---

Speaking of everyone's favorite character at the moment, Warriors, and Twilight. The two of them were currently discovering that Terminian mountain Gorons, were a lot bigger than normal Gorons from death mountain. Surprise!

Terrifying, but friendly, a Goron by the name of Darthi stood a foot taller than Twilight, looming over him as he greeted them to the Goron shrine. 

"Welcome weary travelers!" He had announced. "I am the leader of this tribe, we welcome you with open arms." He had offered them a tour, one that they did not refuse for fear of the well being of their rib cages should the Gorons choose to hug them goodbye. Now they were shown around every crack and crevice of the shrine. 

It was most definitely warm up on the mountain. Lakes filled up plotted alongside the way, green grass where there wasn't carved stone. "Why is it so warm on the mountain?" Twilight asked as they finished looking at the place.

"That is because we were cursed long ago." He answered slowly but surely. "A great tragedy befell our people when the moon's demon fell from the sky. Cursing us to winter forever."

"How long ago?" Warriors asked. 

"Some Twenty and three years, when I was still young. Our tribe's leader then, Darmani, died trying to see what the problem was. But by the power of the four giants, was restored to us for a time. He lived for three days more, spending his time helping us all rebuild and adjust. Soon the snow melted, and the giants have blessed us with continual spring."

"Sounds interesting." Twilight commented. "I apologize for not knowing. But what are the four giants?"

Darthi's face fell at the question. "Well I can't fault you for not knowing. You are all new comers anyhow." He bit his lip, giant yellow teeth tugging at his skin. "The four giants are what holds this place together. They stand, one for each side of this place. One lives here, in spirit, in flesh, we don't know. But they exist to keep us safe and set us straight."

"So they're gods?" Warriors puzzled. "That live here?"

"No. They are not gods. Protectors." Darthi dismissed. "The can be called. But no one called them since the moon fell. Only one can call them. He is not here."

"The moon?" Twilight paused. "Your moon fell? How?"

Darthi shook his head. "The moon demon. An imp. Pulled the moon to destroy."

"Alright. Sounds." Twilight mulled over his thoughts. "Interesting. How are you still alive?"

"Another Imp. The one to control the giants. He called them forth." Darthi shook his head again. "I don't know a lot. Ask me about Gorons, not Imps."

"I'll be sure to then." Twilight assured him. "Is there a way to get down to Clocktown from here? A shortcut?"

"Clocktown? I don't know where that is."

Twilight glanced at Warriors. "Looks like we're walking back then. Oh wait." He looked up at Darthi, "We're looking for two men. They're named Time and Age. If you see them please send them to the Stock Pot Inn if they show up."

"I will look for your friends. And I will send them to the Pot Inn."

"Yes, Thank you." Twilight bowed to the Goron leader, much like he would when grappling with the ones in Death Mountain after a match. Hopefully the Goron tradition carried over. 

Darthi followed suit, bowing at the waist. "I will see you later my friends. Visit soon."

"We will. Come on War. Down the mountain we go." Twilight turned to head back. Motioning for Warriors to follow. Wordlessly they left the village together.

\---

Wild waved Wind and Legend down as they approached the entrance to the ranch. "You're here!" He shouted. "Where's the cap and Twi? Did they stay behind?" He asked once they got closer. 

"There was a dramatic difference in opinion about Time 2.0, so War and Twi will be spending the night at the Inn." Legend explained. 

"Alright? Anyway. I'm super glad you're here. Because we've confirmed that this is Time's place."

"Really?" Wind questioned. "How?"

"Ok so the owner of this ranch," Giddy excitement bled through his voice. "No joke, she looks  _ exactly _ like Malon. Her name is Miss Romani but she's a carbon copy I swear."

"What?" 

"No really! Same clothes, same accent, she even talks the same using those weird country words and sayings."

"And this confirmed because?" Legend asked unimpressed. 

"Because!" Wild pulled the others through the entrance and strode with them as he continued. "Because we called her Malon at first. Because they look the same. And she told us that this wasn't the first time someone called her that! Think of it."

"Woah." Wind breathed.

"Yeah! She said that when she was eleven a kid named Link showed up at the ranch and kept calling Malon on accident. Now who do we know knewMalon when they were eleven?"

"Time." Wind answered.

"Time! Time was here when he was a kid and people remember him." Wild triumphantly said. "The Captain was right and now we have someone who can give us information. And a place to sleep."

"Wow." 

"Wow is right! Isn't this exciting?"

"I would prefer Time and Age to be here to explain it to us." Legend added.

Well, Wild wasn't lying. An exact copy of Malon stood before them. Offering them food and answers to any questions they had as soon as they had come inside. "I won't force boys in the barn if you don't want to. There might be enough room in the extra bedrooms upstairs if you don't mind sharing a bed."

"We would prefer that if you don't mind." Wind said shyly. 

"Oh it's no trouble at all! I rarely get visitors so this is a welcome surprise. Here," She handed Wind and Legend some blankets and a couple of towels. "Four and the others are upstairs already getting ready for bed. Wild, make sure the bathwater doesn't get to cold and alert me when it does."

"A bath?" Legend mouthed to Wild. He nodded vigorously. 

"Thank you so much Mrs. Mal- Miss Romani." Wind corrected himself. 

"Mrs? I wasn't aware she was married now. That's something I'll have to ask about then. Get yourselves ready then come down for all of your questions answered."

Wind nodded, face red with embarrassment. "Yes, sorry." He sprinted upstairs as Wild and Legend thanked Romani and followed the boy. 

"She's really welcoming." Legend remarked. "Think that's suspicious or?"

Wild frowned. "I wouldn't say that. I don't think she gets that many visitors so she's a bit excited."

"Or she plans to murder and eat us. Bath? Really?"

"I think you're paranoid."

"It never hurts."

The bath was warm, the towels were soft, and the three beds were covered in thick quilts. Not the fanciest beds, but compared to the ground or the barn they were suggesting to stay at first, this was going to be the sleep of kings. 

Four made sure everyone was settled down, any access layers were discarded into a bag for them to wash when they had time, and covered in quilts. They were ready for Romani to answer any questions they might ask. 

A knock on the door. “Are you boys ready?” A voice called. Once Four confirmed they were all presentable, Romani opened the door, a plate of biscuits in her other hand. 

“I hope you’re all good with biscuits. I had some from the morning and reckoned that you might want a night snack.”

Four was about to refuse, saying that she had already given them so much, but Hyrule kicked him in the leg before he could do so much as say no. "We'd love some!" He replied. 

"Well then, I'll leave the plate here and fetch some people who you also might want to talk to." Romani said, setting the biscuits down on a bedside table before slipping out of the room. 

"Thomeone elthe?" Wind asked through a mouth full of biscuit. "Who elthe ith here?"

"Swallow all your food before you talk Wind." Sky chided. "But I think Miss Romani is going to fetch her sister. She mentioned that it was just them and the various farm hands who lived here."

Wind swallowed, nodding his head. "Then what are we going to ask her? Does she know Malon? Are they cousins?"

"From what we know. Miss Romani has no clue who Malon is, and only knows about her from being mistaken as here a few times." Hyrule answered. But she knew Time when he was younger than you, and I think that's an opportunity we don't want to waste. Plus she could actually explain what's going on." He added. 

"Now that you mention it." Wild pondered. "This is a perfect time to ask her about Time. Do you think he was a little shit like Legend? Or a trauma child like Legend."

"Fuck  _ you _ ."

"I am asking valid questions."

\---

Stock Pot Inn. Here at last.

Twilight opened the door for himself and Warriors. A man with purple hair stood at the counter instead of Anju. He nodded to them as they entered. "Are you here to book a room?" He asked politely. 

"No, we're in room 383." Twilight responded. "Under the name Link."

The man blinked, still smiling. "Link?" He asked. "You wouldn't happen to know a Link with blonde hair and an obsession with masks would you? He would be around thirty."

Twilight opened his mouth to answer, but Warriors beat him to it. 

"Well his obsession with Masks has toned down a bit. But I think I know who you're talking about." He grinned. 

The man behind the counter stepped out and offered the two of them a hand. "My name’s Kafei, I think I have some questions for you."

\---

The door soon opened again. Romani entered, followed by an older woman, maybe ten years older than Malon. Silver bits streaked through her hair, a few lines etched into her face, smiling was obviously one of her favorite pastimes. 

"This is my older sister, Cremia." Romani introduced. "She might know more about Link than I."

"Oh hush, you two were inseparable. I wouldn't be surprised if you knew his middle name."

"I didn't fight aliens, or run from bandits with him if I recall." Romani encountered. "Anyways, Cremia, these are the fine young men that showed up here this morning calling me Malon again. I just had to let them in."

"Your ever bleeding heart will be remembered when you accidentally let another Imp stay at our house."

Romani scrunched her face at her sister's remarks, electing to place herself on a chair next to a bed. She turned herself towards the space the boys all sat. Spread across the floor and on the beds. "I've informed my sister why we are here, and as long as I know the answer, all my knowledge is yours." Cremia took a seat on the bed next to her sister. 

Hyrule's hand shot in the air. "How did you meet Time? I mean Link."

\---

Kafei leaned back, considering the question. He, Twi, and Warriors were all spaced out in the room they had booked for the night. "How did I meet Link?" He repeated. "I'd say it was Link that met me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Kafei placed his hands over his knees, leaning forward as if he was ready to tell them a great tale. "It was a week before my wedding to Anju. This mask wearing imp from the forest showed up from who knows where, and started wreaking havoc. His most notable actions would be poisoning the ocean, and pulling the moon out of orbit."

"The moon? Out of orbit?" Warriors asked incredulously. 

\---

"As far fetched as it seemed, the moon was indeed falling." Cremia answered. "No one wanted to think that anything would come of it, and the planet would realign. But no such thing. The thing got closer by the day. It's giant face ever present."

"Face? On the moon?" Sky stopped her. 

"It's night time. Go check outside the window if you want."

Wind was the first to throw open the windows and see the moon. "Holy shit!" Legend was the second, looking up at the moon through the window. He let out a string of similar expletives. 

\---

"Terrifying right?" Kafei asked as soon as Twilight had shut the windows, disgust written on his face. "That face was directly over the town for a good few days before it got serious. But anyway," He continued. "I tried to stop him, as dumb a as I was. The result was me being trapped in the body of a ten year old." 

Warriors snorted. "Don't laugh," Kafei defended. "It was a very scary week for me. But Link showed up after a day or so, claiming that Anju had been looking for me, and I needed to go home. The only problem was the-"

\---

"Aliens."

"Aliens?" Hyrule repeated.

"I didn't stutter now, did I?" Romani grinned. "Real as real aliens coming for the cows. They came one night, the first night the moon got close and stole a lot of cows we had left out in the pasture. The next day Link showed up, we enlisted his help in keepin them off our property the next night. They didn't seem to bug us after that."

"Aliens."

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Sorry."

Romani waved them off. "Oh it's no problem. I had a hard time believing it myself. But my sister knows more about the next part than I do."

The boys sat, listening to whatever Cremia was going to say. "We had had a problem with bandits robbin me blind when I made Milk deliveries to Clocktown. After watching Link use a bow like that, I offered to take him with, give him some of the Chateau Romani as thanks. He stayed off the bandits, never bugged me again. Kept calling the both of us Malon more times then either of us could count though."

"Well," Four hesitated. "We also know Malon. And Link. But we call him Time."

"And how are they?" Romani asked.

"Well they're married." Four replied. Romani threw her head back and laughed. 

"That's what I thought!" She exclaimed. "There was no way he didn't have feelings for her, and I never ever met her once."

"You look exactly the same though." Wild added. "Down to the yellow scarf and everything." 

"Then I think that's the closest to getting hitched I'll ever get then. Now where is he? I need to tease him over marrying my double."

"I think we told you, we lost him, and this other guy." Wild puzzled.

"Yes but now I have a reason to actively look for him."

"Sorry, but your guess is as good as ours."

\---

"So to sum up." Twilight said. "He showed up, forced you to raid a thieves hideout, all to find a mask for your wedding. Then in the five hours before the world ended, dragged you to Anju, and officiated your pseudo wedding while you were still a child."

"Correct."

"And then climbed the clocktower, called the four  _ gods _ of Termina to hold up the moon, and next thing you know, it's the morning of the next day."

"Yes."

Twilight stared at the man. No signs of joking were evident. What he was saying was clearly true, at least to him.

"Look," Kafei threw his hands up in defense. "No one ever assumed he was anything normal. Ask anyone about the caller of the four giants and they would know who he was. Because apparently he can be at seven places at once. I told Miss Cremia the rancher about Link meeting me in the afternoon of the second day, but she told me he was at her ranch helping with the cows then. And if you asked Baynard at the shooting gallery where Link was, and he’d tell you that Link was at the shooting gallery all day."

That sounding, interesting, to Twilight. Time? In different places at the same time? He would have some questions for his mentor when they met up again.

\---

The curtains were drawn on shut windows. Six sleeping figures were all huddled up in beds, all of them sharing with another. Legend and Hyrule in the first, Wild and Wind sharing the second, and Four and Sky huddled in the last one. 

The sound of night cicadas screamed through the silence that had washed over them once Miss Romani and her sister had left. She had left with a lot of things to think about. Namely how Time had somehow managed to call the four great protectors of the land to stop the imminent doom of Termina. Somehow none of them were surprised by it.

"Guys. Guys. Guess what." Wind whispered. 

"What?" Legend asked angrily. 

"Time fought the moon."

Wild jerked up. "Oh my god. He fought the moon."

\---

"You know what should die, Time? What should burn in hell? What should never be within my sights ever again?"

"Maps?" Time guessed.   
  
"Fuckin  _ maps _ ."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any thoughts, comments, ideas or theories, please let me know so I can see them!


	14. One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally catch up with Age and Time

“You think if I pray we’ll get a kind stranger out of the blue and willing to help us?” Age asked. He was holding a strained map between his fingers, the only reason he wasn’t tipping it in half was the fact that it was his only map. 

“How have you survived this long?” Time puzzled. 

“Gut instinct and a good sense of direction.”

“We have a terrible sense of direction and you know it.” Time jabbed. “Now I have no idea where we are either but standing out in what I assume to be a hyrule field, is not helping anyone right now.”

Age grimaced, shoving his map carelessly into the bag. Closing his satchel he returned his gaze to Time. “What do we do now then? Find a village all by ourselves?”

Time rolled his eyes. “I was going to suggest trying Epona’s song. Seeing what came of that.” 

“That’s. . . Not a bad Idea actually.” 

“I’m full of good ideas.”

"I'm not sure that's an accurate statement there Time."

"Out of the two of us, I do have more years." 

"Age doesn't mean good ideas."

"Especially in your case _Age_." Time replied. 

Age chuckled at Time's remark. The puns weren't that bad he had to say. Age unstrapped the Ocarina from around his thigh. He lifted it to his mouth before glancing at Time. "Unless you wanted the honor?" He suggested. 

"No, go ahead."

Age nodded. He played six quick notes calling Epona, or any horse really, towards them. They waited in silence for a few moments, before they heard the whiny of a horse far off. 

"Oh hey, that actually did something." Age remarked, putting his instrument away. Now he put his fingers to his lips and whistled to alert the horse to their location. As the horse got closer to them Age recognized the bread. "Kaise!" He exclaimed upon seeing his beloved horse.

Kaise drew nearer to them. Age jogged out to meet the horse halfway, hugging him on the neck when they met. Combing his hair and joyfully whispering words of encouragement towards the horse. 

"Kaise?" Time blinked. "We left him with the boys. How is he here?"

Age looked between him and the horse. He muttered some choice words under his breath and turned to searching the saddle of his beloved horse. "He has some supplies still on him." He discovered. "Nothing important. A few rations and some potions." He gave his attention back to Time. "Does this mean the boys are in this Hyrule?"

"That, or Kaise was left behind in the switch. But we're not in my or your Hyrule so that can't be it." Time wondered out loud. "Maybe the boys left him behind? I don't see that happened." He added once he saw the horrified look on Age's face. "I doubt they forgot about your horse."

"But that raises the question of why Kaise is here with so little supplies. And the absolute raw power of Epona's song. If it called a horse across dimensions. . ."

"I've learned not to question Malon." Time advised.

"Yes. Never question horse girls."

Age mounted Kaise with ease. Comfortably seated on his trusty steed he looked down at Time. "You feel like joining me up here?" He offered a hand towards the old man. 

Time grabbed his hand. "Only if you're sure that he can handle two full grown men and their supplies."

Age patted Kaise's neck. "I believe in him. I've told you he's Epona's foal?"

Time paused surprised. "No actually. You didn't."

"Oh, well, he is. Do you have a horse? I assume that Epona is retired." Age nudged Kaise into a slow trot across the bare field they had found themselves in. 

"Yeah." Time smiled softly at the mention of his horse. "I don't have another like her. When I need to get places I use any horse on the ranch. Malon's mare, Daisy I think her name is, took a liking to me for a while." 

"But no noble steed?"

"No, nothing like that. I retired at the age of twenty three. No real need for a horse companion when you don't travel often." Time explained. 

"That makes sense." Age shrugged. "Maybe I'm just a sap, but there's no way I could replace Kaise."

"He seems like a good horse."

\---

It took some time before they saw anyone. A lone figure stood at the edge of a river. Moving slightly as the wind rocked them back and forth. Age slowed the horse, approaching the stranger. 

"Hello there." He greeted hesitantly. "I was wondering you knew where we were-"

"Hello Link." The woman greeted. Gray hair topped a lined face. "I've been waiting for you." Her voice reminded Age and Time of the sisters Koume and Koutake. Her knowledge of Age was disconcerting. Unless she was talking to Time. Either way, Time tightened his grip on the biggoron sword. 

"How do you know who he is." Time asked. There was no hint of friendliness in his tone. 

"Why wouldn't I know of the fabled Heroes of Time?" The wrinkled women grinned slyly at them. She was missing some of her teeth as she cackled at their faces of shock. "Oh I've  _ heard _ of you two."

Age unmounted from Kaise. "Who are you?" He questioned the old woman. 

"Age, don't talk to her." Time warned.

"No." Age dismissed him. "What have you heard?"

The old woman gestured for them to follow her. She turned her back to them, walking straight into the river behind her. Her dress caught in the river, soaking the hem and boots she wore. Age shared a look of confusion with Time. He saw the old woman tread across the river, before disappearing completely at the edge of the other side.

Age stared at where she had just disappeared. "Did. . . You see that?"

"This is why we don't talk to strangers." Time chastised. "They do fuckin weird stuff." 

"Yeah." Age paused. "Point taken."

"Come on. Get back up here and we'll leave." 

"But she knows something!" Age protested. "We can't let this go."

"Everyone know's something. And I'm not going to run a fetch quest for an old hag who knows that there's two of us- Age!" His explanation was cut off as Age waded into the river. Following the same steps as the old women. 

"Oh come it won't hurt." Age defended. "And I want to know more about this so you can wait out here or come with."

Time huffed. He climbed off Kaise, tying him to a small bush found near the river bed. "I'm not into the idea of chasing every string we find. And I don't want this to become a regular theme when," He glanced up to keep an eye on Age. But just like the old lady he was nowhere to be seen. "You're kidding me." He sighed.

Time dipped his toes into the river water. Grimacing as the water soaked his shoes. He slowly followed the footsteps of Age until he reached the edge. Suddenly he found himself in a new location. As if he had stepped into a grotto unexpectedly. 

Looking at his surroundings he saw a heavily carpeted room with rugs hanging from the walls. The heavy scent of incense and oils floating in the air. The sudden shift from freshwater to this was dizzying. Father off he could spot Age standing around, just as clueless as him. 

"Where are we?" He called out. 

Age spotted him and raced over to meet him. "I have no idea. But it smells great." He answered. "Think this is a pocket dimension?"

"No, this is merely my home." From seemingly nowhere the old lady appeared. "No need to worry you two, I have yet to find a reason to hurt you."

"Comforting." 

"Can you tell us who you are now?" Age demanded. "I didn't follow you for cryptic answers."

The lady laid a hand upon her chest. Fake offense painted on her face. "Why how rude of you Age. I just wanted to offer some advice for you and your counterpart."

"Name?" 

"Eclipso."

"Alright, Eclipso. Why are we here?" Time questioned.

"Oh don't think of me so unkindly Time. I am only here to warn you." She approached them, beckoning for them to follow her again. "Now come this way. I must show you your fate."

"Fate? I don't think so." Time stated. "I'll pass."

"You won't want to miss this young man." She chided. "I have some valuable information you might like."

"Time let's just go." Age pleaded. 

"No! How do we know that this isn't a trap? Or that she's a fraud?" 

"Bold words from a man who's greatest fear is being forgotten." Eclipso butted in. "I don't care if you think I lie. But Age here will listen for you."

Time stood stone faced, switching between Age and Eclipso. "If this is a trap."

"Like I could fool the Hero of Time." She sighed. "Your time in Termina has forced you to grow cold to even the slightest help." Time flinched slightly at the mention of the god forsaken land. "Yes I know everything about you two. Now follow me."

Age followed Eclipso into a back. Time, the ever frozen statue, remained in his spot until he took a few steps in the path of Age. 

What he had heard so far worried him. This woman knew  _ everything _ . She knew of everything he had done. She knew about Age. She probably knew something about the boys. Could she know where they were?

Lifting the curtain of beads, he ducked under into a dimly lit room filled with the smell of dust and magic. It was almost as thick as the magic in the fairy fountains. Age sat on a stool as Eclipso prepared a deck of cards in her hands. 

"Tarot?" Time guessed. "That's how you know about us?"

Eclipso looked up from the cards. "Tarot? No. These are regular cards. I thought we could chat around a friendly game of one."

"One?" He hadn't played that game since he was twenty something. The premise of the game was to lose all your cards. You could use your face cards and power, power to skip, power to change the wanted suit. It was engaging as much as it was horrible.

"Yes! Now sit down and I'll deal with your cards." Time took a seat, and picked up the small pile of cards laid before him. It wasn't a bad hand. 

"So." Eclipso started. She set down the jack of clubs. Time had been skipped. "Age I have some news for you."

"Yeah?" Age replied, setting down the two of clubs. "What is it."

"You left your country behind." Her statement made Age pause. 

"And? I know what I did." He bit. Time made his move, reversing the direction of the game with a Queen.

"I think you're going to regret that choice Age." She replied. "Not saying you will. But just a thought."

Age hesitated. "Alright. Is that it?"

"If you want it to be, yes." She continued placing down her cards.

Time stayed silent as he continued losing his cards. "One" He murdered.

Eclipso turned to him, a grin on her face. "Oh dear, aren't you lucky."

"Thank you?"

"Yes dear. You are very lucky. Lucky lucky lucky." She repeated it as if it was a chant. "You have gotten through so much by luck alone. You know that?"

"Yes."

"I wish I could say the same for your son."

The mention of his son halted any thought Time had been holding onto. "My son?" He asked tentatively. 

"Your son is in danger Time."

"Twilight?" Voice shaking ever so slightly, Time tried to confirm.

"He's going to need you very soon." 

What would happen to Twilight? The question swam through his head, weighing him down. Maybe it was the added smell of dust, but he could hardly think. "What can I do for him?" Age played the Ace of hearts. 

Eclipso's smile stretched her face, pulling her skin tight. "Nothing. You can do nothing about it."

"Then why are you telling me dammit!" Time yelled. 

"Because, Age is in that same danger." She played a Jester. "Now draw four Age. The suit I choose is Spades."

"I'm." Age pulled four cards off the top. "In the same danger as Twilight?"

"Unless you choose to keep yourself out of it."

"How do I do that?"

"Leave."

Age drew back his hand. "Leave? Why?"

Eclipso shook her head. "I can't spoil too much for you boys. I think I have said too much now." She played one more card down. Kind of Diamonds. 

Time set down his last card. The last Jester. "I win." 

"That you do Link. That you do." Eclipso plucked the eight or so cards from Age's hands. "Oh Age." She doted. "Left with a full hand."

"What are you talking about?" Age demanded. "You can't tell me this and not follow it up."

"That's where you're wrong my dear boy. I can do that." She gathered all the cards and shuffled them into their box. As she placed the box on a shelf, she grabbed a small stone on a string. Handing it to Time. "Here, for your win."

The stone was more of a pendent like unto Wind's. A sheikah teardrop drawn on it. "It's much like the sailors. Use that as you will." 

Before Time could reply, he and Age were again standing on the bank of a river.

"Was that. . ."

"That wasn't a dream." Time growled. "And if you kept your head low and didn't follow at the first sight of interest, maybe we could have avoided all this."

"But she said it was fate-"

"Shut up." Age was taken aback by Time's tone. "Fate means nothing to me."

"But Twilight." Age protested. "Look, she gave you a stone like Wind's try using it why don't you?"

Time shook his head. "Later. We don't even know if it works."

Age's face fell. He let his eyes linger on the stone for a bit. "Leave." He mumbled. "Leave or else what? The same fate as Twilight, what did she mean by that?"

"I think." Time mulled it over in his head. All he could think of was Wind's stories. If Twilight was to fall to the same fate as Age, or vice versa. "I think we can think of the answer to this later."

Time wanted to tell Age. Tell him what he had pieced together on outset island those many days ago. He had seen Warriors and Legend realize it, why not the man who was directly affected by it. Why, why, why. 

That was the question. Why? 

And where. Where was Twilight? His supposed son. His son he couldn't be there for. 

"We'll try the sending stone tonight, when we find a place to sleep."

"Alright."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes they are playing Uno


	15. Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They use the stone and Talk to the boys. New information comes to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :/

Age found them a small indent in the rock. Not a cave, but something over their heads. It was surrounded by foliage and rocks. Anyone approaching would have a hard time finding this place. Kaise was tied to a small spike in the rock protruding from the floor. Age and Time laying out their sleeping gear on the mossy ground. 

"Can we try it now?" Age bugged Time for the third time since they found their shelter. 

Without word Time pulled it from his neck and tossed it to Age, who excitedly caught it. Holding it in his hands he inspected it. It wasn't identical. As if someone had shrunk the gossip stones and put it on some string. A random thought of blowing it up came to Age. When placing a bomb next to a gossip stone, it shot into the air. Would this be different? 

"So?" Time interrupted Age's thoughts. "Are you going to try and use it?" 

"Yeah hold on." Age took the string in his hands and started swinging it around his finger. 

"What are you doing?" 

He looked up from the stone, stopping it's swing. "What? This is what Wind does."

Time raised an eyebrow. "Really? I've been thinking of using the mask of truth."

"The what?"

"Nevermind. Continue what you're doing."

Age swung it around his finger, faster and faster until it glowed a low green. He immediately stopped what he was doing and held it up to his mouth. "Hello? Discount talking to Arson or Windy Boy. This is Discount speaking."

\---

The boys had woken up early to help around the ranch. It was hard to not feel at Lon Lon Ranch. Upon seeing Romani, Legend had almost called her Malon and asked her where Time was, then reality had hit him. They were not at LonLon ranch. They weren’t in Hyrule even. 

He along with Wild had volunteered to fetch Warriors and Twilight from the Inn. Assuming that’s where they were. After some nifty navigation across the green fields, they found themselves at the Stock Pot Inn. Not bothering to knock, Wild entered with Legend close after. 

A man stood at the front. He lit up once he saw them. “Welcome! Are you looking for a room?” He asked. 

“We have a reservation. Under the name Link.” Legend answered. “Room 383.”

The man pulled some papers out to check. “Looks correct. Are you friends with the people there?”

“Yes. We got the room as a group yesterday but it wasn’t big enough for all of us.”

“So I’ve been told.” The man chuckled. “I had a chat with them last night. Newcomers always have a lot of questions.”

Legend nodded vaguely. “Sounds about right.”

He thanked the man and climbed to the second floor. Pushing open the room, he saw Twi and Warriors mulling around with their gear. 

"Hey there assholes." Legend greeted. 

Twilight and Warriors turned their attention to him and Wild. "Glad to see you're okay. I knew one of you was coming to get us." Twilight replied. 

“Course you did.” Legend muttered.

"What happened after you left."

"I bought Wind some ice cream because he was crying." The unspoken poke at Warriors was left hanging. "Then Wild got in contact with Wind. There's a ripoff Malon who explained pretty much everything to us. We have a place to stay and I'll tell you everything on the way there."

Twilight glanced at Warriors, sitting upon a small chair next to a table. "A ranch? Sounds good. Should we pack our equipment and check out?"

"Unless you have a reason to keep it here."

"We have a good informant here." Warriors spoke up. "Purple haired guy and his wife have a lot of info. Time was here, told them everything."

"Everything?" Legend raised an eyebrow. "Because from what I've heard everything means everything."

"Did I stutter?"

"No, but you look like you saw death." It was true, Warriors had bags under his eyes, and a line of stress across his forehead. "What's up with you? Not get enough sleep?"

"Yeah. Sure. You could say that?"

Legend knew there was a story behind that, but his focus now was getting them to the ranch. "Can you still walk?"

"Yeah."

"Then get up and walk."

"You're so nice to me." Warriors sighed, getting up. "Where to?"

"Romani Ranch. Wild can guide us." Legend said, pointing behind him to where Wild stood. 

"Yeah I'll do that in just a second Leg, I'm getting a call from Wind, I think."

They stood there as Wild accepted Wind's call. 

"Hello? Discount talking to Arson or Windy Boy. This is Discount speaking." A voice muffled and popping in and out came through the slate.

Wild's face lit up. "Age!" He exclaimed. "Hey it's me! Arson." He held the slate close to his face. Unlike Wind’s calls, there wasn’t video, just the voice. Legend, Twilight, and Warriors quickly gathered around Wild to better hear the sound.

"Oh -- Wild!" The sound cut off for a moment. "Time won a nifty stone and I get to use it."

"Where are you? We’re looking for you?" Wild asked. "We're in a place called Termina, ask Time what that means."

What sounded like a scuffle could be heard over the slate. "Termina? Are you sure?" Time's growling voice could be heard over the slate now. 

"Yep!" Wild answered. "Nothing bad is happening right now. There's this big carnival happening soon and we're kinda looking for you. Are you not here?"

"No clue. We're somewhere. Where's Twilight?" Time demanded. Wild held the slate to Twilight. 

Twilight took it from here, staring at the blank slate. "I'm right here Time. What's going on?"

“Are you okay?”   
  
“Yes? Time where are you?”

"Stay safe. We'll be there soon. I’m proud of y-" The sound cut out.

\---

Time stared at the wall, eyes glazed over. Age was worriedly fretting over the stone that shorted out on them. "You think it's old?" He asked. "Or just really bad at its job?"

"Probably the power difference. The slate is a powerhouse. That stone is a magical stone." Time murmured. "Try it again. Call Wind."

Age frowned, "I can try, but Time. So far they're okay. I know you're sacred for them."

"I'm absolutely terrified."

"Alright, that too. Especially after that wonderful visit to Eclipso. And Twilight in danger, and  _ me _ in danger. But I wouldn't worry too much about myself. I think I'm good." Time stopped listening to Age as the younger one droned on and on about  _ something _ .

It took some time, but Time let Age ramble on for a bit longer. He was trying to distract him, and Time appreciated it.

“And  _ that’s  _ why my wife won’t allow me to use spears anymore.” 

It was time to try again. “Are we calling Wind or not?” 

“Oh yeah I was gonna do that.” He realized. “I think I should do that.”   
  
“I think you should too.” Maybe he sounded patronizing, maybe he wanted to get this over with. 

Age once again began to spin the stone around and around. A loud sound came from the nearby area, frightening the man. The cord flew off from around his finger into the air. It hit the wall of the cave, bouncing off into the palm of Age’s hand as he dived for the object. “Nothing’s broken!” He assured Time, inspecting the stone. “What was that sound?”   
  
Time was far ahead of him, already looking out to see the source. A bumbling man clad in a tight white suit, carrying a red backpack was noisily pushing branches out of his way. He had numerous tares in his clothes and he had the manners of a man who had been to hell and back. 

“Are you alright there?” Time called.   
  
The postman’s head jerked up at the sound. “Oh! You must be Link.” He panted. Sweat covered his brow. If Time had to guess, he had run here. From where he didn’t know. 

“I am Link, yes.” Time confirmed. “Do you need some help?”

“If you’d be so kind.”

Time lent a hand to the postman, holding him steady as he leapt over the last few rocks barring his entry. He studied the Postman, unlike others he had seen he had graying hair, a few lines across his face. Maybe older than him. “You have mail?” Time asked.   
  
“I do!” The postman slid his pack off, pulling a letter from the depth of his never ending pack. “This is for Link. It’s marked as urgent so I’ve made sure that it is delivered on time.” There was a golden seal on the letter, a wax triforce sealing it shut.

Time took it from his hand. “Thank you.” 

The Postman bowed. “Always a pleasure to serve the system. May the giants bless you good sir.”

“May the giants bless you as well.” It took Time a second before he realized what he had said and who he was talking to. “Wait, Henry!” He called to the Postman and he began to leave. 

Henry paused at his name. “Yes?”   
  
“What’s your next stop?” Time felt a quiet sense of hope boil in his gut. 

“I have to make my rounds at Clocktown sir. I’ll have to hurry or else I’m thrown off my schedule.” Joy filled Time as he learned of their location. In any other situation he might be scared out of his mind, but nothing could stop his mind from racing about so he could get to his boy’s as quickly as possible. 

“Do you mind if I accompany you? Me and my brother are heading there now and would like a guide.” It didn’t really matter if they could travel with Henry or not, but Time thought it would be neat. 

Henry glanced at the cave and back at Time. “Please hurry. I don’t have much time to spare.” Time nodded and ducked back into the cave. 

Age was fiddling with the hem of his shirt, laces being tied into an elaborate knot. “Oh hey!” He greeted. “What was that noise?”

“Postman. We’re in Termina. You have a letter. We have to go.” Time explained it in as little words as possible.   
  
“A letter for me?” He exclaimed as he got up off the ground. “ _ And  _ we’re in Termina? Things are lining up aren’t they?”

Time grinned, matching Age’s enthusiasm. “Seems so. Read your letter and we’ll be on our way. Here’s your letter.” He passed along the paper.

“It’s written in your Hylian.” Age commented.

“We have the same language. And I don’t think I’m getting letters from The Queen Zelda anytime soon.”

Age scrunched his face. “I am a fucking idiot aren’t I?”   
  
“I’m sure you try.” Time assured him.

He left Age alone to untie the horse who had been standing patiently for the few hours they had been there. The orange horse recognized him, shaking it’s head as he drew near. ”Hey there bud.” He started. “Age is gonna get out here soon, let me untie you okay?” The horse, while not understanding Hylian, got the gist of his intentions and let him untie the rope without mauling him. Leading Kaise back to where Henry stood impatiently, Time waited for Age to emerge from the cave. 

It took three minutes and an anxious whine from both Henry and Kaise from Time to realize something was wrong. He worriedly glanced at Henry, who was shifting from foot to foot as he tried to find something to distract him. 

“Sorry for the wait.” Time apologized. “I’ll go see what’s taking him so long.” 

He entered in, seeing Age standing alone, staring at the letter. A mix of emotions spread across his face. He gripped the paper, jumping slightly as he noticed Time approach him. “Are you good?” Time asked. 

Age quickly folded the note, shoving it into his breast pocket. “I’m good. I’m great yeah, uh, I’m good.” 

“Really?” Time raised an eyebrow. ”What was in that letter?” 

A pained grin flashed across Age’s face. “I just. . . Never thought a game of One would dictate my life so accurately.”

“Your life?” Time thought back to Eclipso’s game. “Is Hyrule okay?”

Age looked ready to break down. “No. Not at all.”   
  
“What’s happening?”   


“Monsters. They’re coming from everywhere. A town has been demolished already.” His voice grew quieter with every statement. “They’re bringing diseases we’re not used to, infections. Zelda feels boxed in.” Age stopped talking, not wanting to say what came next.

“You want to go back.” Time stated. He felt a rush of cold run through him as he said those words. Shivers down his spine.

Age’s face fell, blinking rapidly as he tried to hold back tears. “Yeah.” He mouthed. 

Time had to stop and breathe. “Alright.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“No, don't apologize.” 

“I’m sorry.”

Silence filled the air. Thoughts swam around in Time’s head. Eclipso told Age that he would regret leaving, and that his best bet to avoid danger,  _ the same danger Twilight was in,  _ was to leave. And right before them was a chance, Age wanted to leave. He would have to leave to stay safe. He needed to leave to see what he could do home. How he could help. Keep his people safe. 

Time spoke after a while. “Take the stone with you.” 

Age let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Thank you.”

“You take Kaise, I’ll go with the postman. Try retracing our steps. Maybe Hylia will be kind and let you home without a fuss.” He joked. “Stay safe and call whenever you can. After I get the boys we’ll leave and maybe end up in your place again. We could even help you.”

“That would be nice.” 

Time suggested they leave the cave, Age nodded and followed Time out. The postman looked relieved as they appeared out in the open. “Oh thank goodness. I need to go now.”

“Go, I can catch up.” Time told him. He nodded and practically ran away from there. 

“He looks exactly like-”

“The running man, yeah.” Time smiled. “When I said exact lookalikes, I meant it.” 

“Yeah I can see that.”

Standing together for what Time hoped wasn’t the last time, they watched Henry run into the unknown. 

“Here.” Time pulled his ocarina from his pack. “I’m going to teach you a song.”

“Oh really? Are you going to throw a deku nut at me afterwards.”

“Unless you really don’t want me to.” He replied. “This song is what I used to get around this place. It’s called the Song of Soaring. Use it like a warp song. If you play it and think of a place here, you can warp.” He played the six note song. A surge of magic welled in his chest, waiting for him to think of a location. 

Age listened closely and repeated it back to him. He frowned and touched his own chest. “It feels weird.”

“Yeah. You’ll get used to it. There’s a catch though.” Time informed him. “You have to have been there before if you want to warp there. You’ll probably only be able to warp here.”

Age shrugged. “It’s still Termina. Can I think of a person instead? Warp to them?”

“I’ve never tried it like that. I can’t say.” Time shook his head. “If you want to try go ahead. But you can try that later.”

“Why did you teach me this? I’m leaving.”

Time hesitated. He didn’t know why, but it felt wrong to leave him with nothing. “Because, you might use it.” He settled on.

“Just in case?” Age repeated. 

“Yeah.” Time grinned. “Just in case.” 

Age laughed. “Sure.” He grabbed Time and wrapped him up in a hug, settling down in the crook of Time’s neck. Time gripped him tightly, not daring to let him go. “Stay safe.” Age warned him. 

“I will.” 

“Say hi to Wind for me.”

“Tell him yourself, coward.”

Age snorted. “I’ll see what I can do.” He let go of Time, smiling softly. “But really, stay safe.”

“Only if you do.”

“Sounds like a deal.” He watched as Age mounted Kaise. “I had better see you soon.” Time told him. 

“Likewise oldman. I’ll see you later.” 

Time waved goodbye as Age kicked Kaise into a trot. Before he himself turned around, heading in the same direction as Henry the Postman. His destination? The Stock Pot Inn. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :/


	16. Meet Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What better way to celebrate this fic not being updated for a month. . .With a new update! Yayyy. .. .. 
> 
> Ok but really, updating this is going to become a lot slower, I just wish I knew before hand so I didn't have to keep you guys waiting. I'm going to finish Mask and Starving (my other ongoing fics) and I'm putting all my effort onto them since they're so close to being finished. 
> 
> Thank you to anyone still sticking around! I promise Updates will become regular at some point, and I have no plans to drop this fic.

If Time hadn’t taken hundreds of hours of therapy, or had such a loving wife, he would probably be having a couple of panic attacks right now.

But things being what they were, while Time was still spooked at the thought of being back in termina, he was strangely calmer than he expected himself to be. Probably because the moon was so far away from the ground, and the water was clear and the grass was green. There was no evil presence lingering in this land anymore. Neither were there any marks Majora. Time had made sure of that before he left. 

Approaching the outer walls of clocktown from afar, Time felt waves of nostalgia wash over him. His thoughts turned to the residents inside. How was the bomber gang? They might be a bit big to fit in their hideout now. Was Anju and Kafei still the owners of the Stock pot inn? Did they have children? His thoughts turned to Romani, she wouldn’t look exactly like his wife now would she? What about Cremia? He chuckled to himself as he imagined Malon finding out he knew what she’d look like in a decade or so. 

Most importantly, how were the boys? Twilight or Wild didn’t have time to disclose their location to him and now they could be anywhere in Termina. Hopefully they had found someone. The best place to go for information was the Stock Pot inn though. If they found Clocktown, there was a high chance they found the only Inn. 

Crossing the threshold of the gates. Time took notice of the lack of guard at the front. Was there no need for them anymore? Upon seeing South Clocktown for the first time in twenty years, he realized that no, it was just the carnival of time. 

Decorations hung through the plaza, old and familiar he had studied each one back in the day. People were bustling to and fro, stopping at various places around the space and checking out booths and food. Time had never actually gotten the pleasure of going to the carnival of time. His only recollection of it was that the clock opened at midnight and a barren city. 

But this particular time, this time it was full of life. Time recognized a good amount of the people galavanting around. Though they were older and much less galavanting as they were walking slowly. Their names escaped him but seeing familiar faces brought a smile to his face. 

Glancing around he wondered if he could find the boys. They must be here, they had eyes and could clearly see a party when presented to them. That is unless they were stuck deep within the depths of the woods of mystery. 

Catching a glimpse of blond hair, Time turned expecting to see Wind or Four. But it was just a boy running to his mother. A woman he didn’t recognize. 

Pushing forward he made it to the upper level. The owl statue nestled itself between the staircases leading to North Clocktown. Behind him knelt the same banker he had come to know so well. Time wondered how the man had been since he had last left. Approaching him he grinned as recognition shined in the banker’s eyes. 

“Well I’ll be! Hey there Link, come to make a deposit?” The banker had always recognized him. Time had no idea how he was able to but he did. 

Time shook his head. “Not today. I made my last one a couple of years ago.”

“A couple? It must have been centuries since I saw you last! You still have some in the bank if you want to withdraw the rest.”

“Really?” Time didn’t remember leaving anything behind. He took it all out the day he left Termina for good. “How?”

“You left maybe a hundred, just in case you ever wound up back here. I’d say interest would be kind to you!”

Time had no memory of this but he chuckled all the same. “How much has the interest changed it?”

“You got a hundred and sixty rupees now.”

“I am a rich man it seems.”

“The richest in all the land of Termina.” The banker joked. He looked almost the same, save for some gray hairs streaked in his bright red. “Want to withdraw?”

“I’ll keep it in for tonight.” A thought struck Time. “If any blond boys come and ask to deposit money, or try to withdraw and they give the name Link or a vague descriptive word. Direct them to my account. ” 

The banker nodded. “Any specific words I should be looking for?”

“Things like Legend and Warriors, Twilight, Sky, something like that.” He put more thought into what he was saying. “Actually, refuse anyone named Wild and Wind. Ask them to get someone older to do it for them.”

“Got it! Glad to see you again, have fun at the festival.”

“You too.”

Time turned right and headed to the west side of Clocktown. The layout was the same, and the path emptied right into the Inn’s path. There might not be anyone here seeing as there was a festival about, but his goal was here anyway. 

Pushing the door open and taking comfort in the fact that the squeak was still there so many years later, Time entered the Inn. 

The layout was the same. Decor and benches that were once new, stood as antiques in the lobby. At the front desk was a very familiar woman, and Time couldn’t help but grin as he greeted her. 

“Good evening Sir! Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn, the only Inn in clocktown. Is there something I can help you with?” Anju asked. 

“I’m looking for eight boys all named Link, and one Anju and her husband if possible.”

A look of surprise crossed Anju’s face. “Some boys checked in a few days ago, but checked out today. As for Me and my husband, I'd like to know your business here.”

Time shrugged. “It’s been a while since I stopped by this town. Figured I might as well catch up with some people.”

“Really?” Anju asked hesitantly. “I don’t remember you at all. When were you here last?”

“I figured you might not. My name is Link, and the last time we talked I was twelve.”

She gasped, hands flying to her mouth. “Oh my god, it’s you!”

Time put a hand behind his neck, glancing to the side. “It’s been a while hasn’t it.”

Anju hurried around the counter and clasped her hands in front of her. “It’s been ages! You’re so tall now, I can’t believe it.”

“Thank you, I worked hard on it.” He looked around the room. “Where’s Kafei? Is he here?”

Anju shook her head. “He took some boys out to experience the festival.” She paused. “Do you know all the boys named Link? They’re not all your kids are they?”

“Heavens no. They are family though. We got separated.”

“That would explain the naming scheme. I was sure one of them was yours. But Kafei had them out for the day. Turns out they were looking for you, and for information about you from a while ago. He told them our side.”

“I'd expect they’d have questions. I never told them much about this place.”

“I’m sorry if you wanted it to be kept secret, I think Kafei just likes to talk about you.”

“I’m flattered.” 

\---

“And that ladies and gentlemen. Is how you win a ball toss.”

“Legend you almost burnt the fucking booth.”

Legend pretended not to hear Four. Instead he collected his grand prize of a small bomb bag readily filled, and pocketed it in his never ending spacious satchel. “Now should we go find the others? I heard that Wild planned on banking out on the lottery.”

“It’s right around the corner.” Four instructed looking at the map that Kafei had given him. “How much money do you think he’ll lose?”

“Not enough.”

Speak of a devil and they will appear, Wild came bounding around the corner. “Guys! The lottery numbers  _ were  _ my birthday.” In his arms he held a few stuffed bags of rupees, Wind was by his side, holding his own small pouch of rupees. Kafei trailing behind both of them. 

“Please help me convince him to not carry his money out in the open like this.” He pleaded. “I’m not sure how you value money here but seven hundred is kind of a lot.”

Legend swiped a bag from Wild’s arms. Ignoring the teen’s yelps he turned to the older man. “Is there a bank in this place?”

“In the south, right behind the clock.”

“Thanks. Can you lead us there?”

“Hey! Give that back!” Wild tried his best to grab his money back from Legend, but failed as the older one kept nudging him, eventually giving it to Four. 

Twilight, Sky, Hyrule, and Warriors were all with Romani and Cremia, no doubt experiencing the food side of this place rather than the games. Each grownup had something new to show them and they would sometimes switch caretakers as long as they made sure everyone was with one of the adults. 

To Four it seemed a bit excessive, but upon seeing how busy the place was, he agreed to the terms. Kafei led them through the crowds of people, to the man with a red bob cut kneeling on a stool. 

“Good evening Wells, how have you been?” Kafei addressed. “A friend of mine needs to make a deposit.” 

“Really?” Wells observed the few with him. “How long and how much?”

“A few days.” Legend answered for Wild. “Six hundred rupees.”

“Can I get a name?”

Legend hesitated before turning to Wild. “Your name?”

“My money, my name.” Wild pouted.

“Goddesses above you’re a baby.” Legend faced Wells. “Put it under the name Wild.”

He looked up, a grin clearly forced from his face. “And is there one Warriors, Twilight, Legend, or Sky to vouch for this young man's money?” 

What the fuck? “Uh, yeah? My name’s Legend and how would you know that?”

Wells shook his head, still trying not to smile. “An old tenant asked me to link accounts and limit the withdrawals and deposits of a Wind and Wild.”

“Who the-  _ Time. _ ” Legend interrupted himself with the realization. Of course the first thing the old man did upon arriving here was link their fucking  _ bank accounts _ .

“Did he have scars on his face?” He asked tiredly. “Kinda like face paint? Red and blue, missing an eye?”

“He sure did!”

“That’s comforting news.” Legend grumbled. 

Wind perked as he realized the same as Legend. “Age and Time are here?” He exclaimed. “Which way did they go?”

Wells grinned at Wind’s enthusiasm and pointed him to the east. Before Legend could try to stop him Wind was off running, intending to find the two adults. 

\---

Talking with Anju. . . Well it confirmed Malon’s theory that anyone over the age of thirty got along fine enough. 

He ragelled the events of his life after he had left clocktown, Anju was particularly excited to know that he had found a love of his own and a farm. She in turn told him about Clocktowns recovery and buildup from the ‘moon incident’ and how his actions from all the days had bled into one another. 

Out of all the people of clocktown, Anju and Kafei were the only ones who knew about the cycle. They didn’t know how many cycles he had been through, or how many attempts he had at getting them back together. The couple after being wed had offered the kid stay at the Inn until he was ready to go, for thanks for helping them. Ready to sleep in a bed for longer than a day he had readily agreed. 

Kafei, now back to his young adult body, had still sought him out in the day, when Time had just lounged around and stared at his bright new mask. The man claimed that Time was fun to chill with, and had an ‘old soul’ which led to some lengthy discussions of time travel. 

He had left a week after, but it was a week he would never forget. Being mothered by Anju and finally letting someone know of what he had gone through. Neither of them tried to deny what he told them. Saying that if the moon could crash and dark gods could exist, than time travel was also possible. 

“And those boys? Where do they fit in?” Anju questioned. 

“Close relatives. Cousins sons and a few nephews.”

“You never mentioned having siblings.”

“Well I didn’t exactly know myself.” Time defended. “We’ve been traveling together and seperated not long ago. I’m grateful he found the same place at least.”

Anju nodded. “I’ll say. Why did they place their name as Link? Did they know you were coming, I thought they were looking for you?”

“We’re all named Link.” He admitted. 

“Oh dear.”

“Oh dear indeed. We’ve come up with names for ourselves to tell up apart. I’m sure you've heard them?”

“Vaguely. Things like Nature and Wind?”

Time chuckled. “Close. We have-” He listed off the names of all nine of them. He hesitated for a second. “And Age. If you ever see him.”

“Who is that?”

“My cousin. We parted ways before I got to clocktown. He’s around my age and has a family of his own he needs to take care of. Couldn’t stick around for long.”

“A good reason to leave.” Anju hummed. “Now should we go out? I’m sure we can find all of them somewhere. They should either be with Romani or Kafei at the moment.” She drew herself up from the bench in the lobby where they had been seated. Time following her lead. 

Before they could get to the door however, it was thrown open by Wind himself. “Time!” He cried upon seeing him. The boy launched himself into Time’s arms knocking him back.

Time gave a full bellied laugh and held Wind. “How are ya?” He asked. “I didn’t scare you too much did I?”

Legend, Four and Wild were there too. Goddesses it was reassuring to see them. “Didn’t scare us too much old man.” Four remarked. “But you had better answer each and every one of our questions now.”

Time nodded, he had expected this. “I can promise you answers, but there’s a chance I don’t know them myself.”

“Good enough for me.” Legend butt in. He was standing, surveying the room. “Where’s Age?”

Wind looked up. “Is he upstairs?”

Time didn’t answer right away, he hadn’t thought of what he could say, and ‘yeah he just kinda left, family business’ wouldn’t really cut it. 

“Time?” Wind said his name again. “You with us?”

Time cleared his thoughts. “We had to part ways. Age needed to go home.”

A look of confusion was clear on the boy's face. “What do you mean part ways? He’s here right?”

Time shook his head. “I can explain in more detail when we get everyone. But he’s off on his own right now.”

“What? No!” Wind’s confusion morphed into mild panic. “You left him alone? Why?” 

Wind was cut off by Legend’s firm hand on his shoulder. Glancing up at the young adult, Wind calmed slightly, sliding off of Time’s lap and standing idly my Legend.

Time didn’t understand Wind’s panic. The man had expected him to be sad, sure, maybe even angry. Time was about to say something before he was saved by Kafei, now older with a few lines on his face, walking through the door. 

“Well I’ll be damned Link. You look older than me!” Kafei stuck out his hand, Time being the sap he always denied being, took his hand and pulled him into a hug. 

“Good to see you doing well.” Time commented. 

“Glad to see you alive.”

\---

Wind fiddled with the hems of his tunic. Fear bubbled in his stomach. Time and Age had split up. Age was by himself. Wind’s own history dictated that Age was going to- He stopped himself from thinking that. There was no way. Time had better explain himself. Age had to be coming back right? No Link left behind?

Legend’s hand was on his shoulder again. “Calm down windy kid.” Legend reassured him. “Don’t worry too much.”

Wind numbly nodded, thoughts still bubbling in his head while Time exchanged light banter with Kafei. 

“Wild, Four.” Legend spoke. “Get the others, let ‘em know Times here.” When they left he addressed Time and Kafei. “Are we staying here or heading back to the ranch?”

Time didn’t answer but Anju did. “I’m sure Miss Romani wouldn’t mind the company. And we don't want to clog up the lobby dear. I can fetch Mother to be up front.”

Kafei agreed with his wife. “If you can find her, ask to make sure. We can wait here till everyone is here.”

Legend nodded. “Want to come with me Wind?” Not waiting for a reply he steered Wind out the door, where the sailor immediately pulled away from Legend’s grasp. 

“Didn’t you hear Time?” Wind yelled at him through the crowd. “Age is all alone! He could fuckin die and neither of us would know.” He sniffled. 

Legend regretted telling Wind anything concerning Age. “Sailor, I have no doubt in my mind that Age is going to keep his head down and not die. I’ll bet rupees on it.”

“But you said-”

“I don’t care what I said Wind. I’m not preachin the fucking gospel out here.” That shut him up right quick. Legend sighed. “Look Wind. Age isn’t going to up and die the moment he isn’t in your sight. He fought Ganon and all that jazz. Calm down and trust that he’ll be okay.”

Wind huffed, turning away from Legend. Rolling his eyes the taller of the two crouched down and pulled Wind into a well deserved hug. 


	17. Age

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get our sights directed to our main character. Where has he been?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse for my actions. Only know that I'm not dead and neither is this fic. I'm finishing this dammit. Even of it takes a few more months.

It was raining. Hard. 

There was little cover around him. Only the cloak covering his shoulders that was now drenched. The water sept into his belongings, every second he spent out here he wished more and more he had spent the night in the forest, which would at least provide some sort of cover. 

There had been a shift of worlds, this one definitely not being Age’s own. He could tell it was not a downfall timeline. No brutal attacks had been made against him in any form. And seeing as it was not flooded, it was highly unlikely that it was Wind’s Hyrule. The one that he failed. 

It was strange, knowing that at some point in the future he would be inadequate, and he would die. Everyone knew they were going to die at some point. Except kids. And no one wanted to break the harsh reality to them. But knowing that would die, and meeting people who had only known about you through rumors and fairy tales, and that in the ends you were nothing more than a living legend? It was a strange feeling he really couldn’t place. 

Now thinking about it, he wasn’t sure anyone had made the connection between him and the hero’s failure in Wind’s timeline. 

The Hero of Time had failed. Somehow. And who was the Hero of Time? Him. Maybe before they met him they assumed he had just died to Ganon. That would make sense, right? But that was the fate the downfall timeline had taken, so it was up to Age to fail at something else.

Comforting. 

God this rain was making him bitter. 

Turning back his thoughts, he recalled the letter stuffed in his bag. No doubt it was soaked and the ink was running, but he’d try and salvage it nonetheless. Written in his wife's neat handwriting was an update on the current state of Hyrule. She had addressed the military struggle of the kingdom, and Age had never wished to be a simple farmer more than ever. A town had been destroyed. Just one, but it marked the beginning of the waves of ruthless monsters heading their way. 

Age wasn’t expected to take care of it by himself. He was nothing more than a captain and high advisor to the Queen when you actually took a look at his functions as King. But he was a leader. And the army was scrambling to figure out what to do, and even with all the knowledge held by the many generals and captions, they still had little idea of what they were fighting. 

Military. Of course it was military shortcomings that took him away from friends and basically family. He was the only Link who held the title of King, at least at the moment. And as much as he wanted to pretend that his leaving was normal and right, an adventurer by heart, deep down a part of him knew that he was running away. 

Dammit, this was not a time for self reflection. But when you’re alone on a horse trotting down a muddy dirt road and the rain is dumping buckets of water on you, what else is there to do?

Part of him was angry at Hylia. Another part of him was angry at himself for even being angry. His entire childhood had been robbed from him. Altho he was physically ready for what life had to throw at him, he had barely passed adulthood in his own mind. He had been cheated out of seven years of life, as a result he would die early, if not earlier because he was bound to fail at something. 

Why Hylia felt the need to burden the young, and not some battle hardened general who had the actual want to defend the kingdom was beyond him. 

But the anger that sat boiling within his stomach was pointed at himself as well. How dare he curse Hylia when Hyrule had grown up in a world trying to kill him since he was born. When Time had lost so much and lived for so much longer. When Sky couldn’t look at all of them and hear of their stories about fighting Ganlon, without seeing his own failure. 

His future failure and dying young was nothing compared to the others, but still he felt unjustly punished. 

He jokingly wanted to ask the gods if he did something in another life to piss them off. Of course the only lives before his were pure and kind. Four and Sky had done nothing to deserve their fate, as well as Age. But he knew that. And he still thought about it. 

In the distance Age could spot the outline of a town. Small but there were a few flickering lights which meant someone was home. He nudged Kaise to move a little faster, Hopefully this meant an Inn of some sort, or a kind family he would pay. 

He passed a small sign, the name of the village printed in faded letters on the slab of wood held up by a stake driven into the ground. Weed’s springing up around it. 

_Ordon._

\---

Time’s reunion had been cut short by the desire to continue wandering the town. After hugs were exchanged and Time had given a quick explanation of why Age was no longer with him, he and the others had parted ways. Time electing to ‘stay with the old people’ and catch up on what he had missed. 

Seeing everyone, so much older, it cemented the fact that Termina was not some bad dream. He knew that of course, but seeing time pass in a place where he had only known it to stop, it was comforting in a way. 

Romani was in every way, still a spitting image of his wife. But this time he took the time to explain why he had accidentally called her Malon so many times. He would not mention to Malon he knew what she would look like when she was forty-three however. That was kept between him and Cremia. 

The boys kept themselves busy. Finally dragging themselves into the Inn at two in the morning. They had stood on the clocktower watching the fireworks together according to Four. 

“I didn’t know fireworks were a thing, Or that shooting color bombs into the sky was possible.” Four confessed as they had all gotten ready to sleep. 

“Wild has a slate that can store literally anything. I’m not sure why anything surprises you anymore.” Hyrule shrugged. “After I figured out that different timelines existed I stopped caring.”

“Maybe you have a lower bullshit tolerance then.” 

“Rude.”

The boys were staying at the farm. Most of them anyway. Twilight, Wind and Legend were staying at the Inn with Time. It was a random picking between who was more tired, and who was willing to walk further to get to the ranch and avoid sleeping on the floor. Anju and Kafei had apologized about not having more room, but had been reprimanded by Time about how ‘they shouldn’t feel guilty’ and ‘we’re resourceful.’

“It was my first time seeing fireworks too.” Sky added to the conversation. “I don’t think shooting things high into the sky was a good idea when you already were in the sky.”

“They were pretty. I wish I could see them again.”

“Yeah.”

“Agreed.”

“Me too.”

Wild snorted. “D’you think Time would let us come back every year?” 

“Do you think we’ll still all be together in a year?” Warriors asked. 

His question brought the mood to a halt. 

At some point they all knew they were going to leave. And their band of merry men would be disbanded. Their goal was to kill Dark Link, and one way or another it was going to get done. Would they stick together after that? Age was proof that some of them had a life to attend to. While others like Legend and Hyrule would continue to to travel just like this for as long as they were able. 

“Well it doesn’t matter. Mail is inter dimensional.”

Wild chuckled. “Have fun trying to read my handwriting guys.”

“I’m not sure some of us can read.” Sky laughed. “But we’d make it work right?”

“Why would we have it any other way?”

\---

Ordon village was a small town, just as Age has suspected. And the familiarity was astounding. This was most likely Time’s hyrule. Or Twilights. They were so close to each other in the relative time race that Age could safely call their Hyrule’s ‘his own but not really.’

There were no standout Inn’s. So his only option was to knock on the door of one of the lit houses, hoping that they would lend a hand. 

_Tap tap tap_. He stood and waited. The rain had lightened up but he was still visibly soaked and it was clear he had been traveling for some time. 

When the door finally opened to reveal a younger girl, maybe in her early years of adulthood. Age nodded politely and said his greetings. “Hello miss. I’m sorry to bother you late at night but would there happen to be a spare room somewhere in this town that I could reside in?” 

She darted her eyes between him and Kaise, who stood at the very end of the pathway to the house. He had made sure that in case something happened, his horse was not near any property. 

“One moment sir. I’d need to talk to my Father.” She timidly shut the door, Age heard footsteps and quiet conversation. 

Soon a big man opened the door again. He had a distinct mustache that would rival some of the members of his own court. A feat indeed. He immediately ushered Age inside. “Come in Come in, young man. I’m sorry you had to stand out in the cold. My daughter is careful around strangers.”

“It’s no problem sir.” Age assured. “I am just looking for a place to escape the rain and get a bite to eat.”

“Then you’ve come to a good place. I’m Mayor Bo.” The mayor introduced himself. “And my daughter Ilia is the one who opened the door for you. She’s just now getting something to dry you off with.”

“Thank you kindly.” Age gave him a small bow. “I’ve been travelling by myself for these last few days and have found myself somewhat lost. To find myself in great company such as this is a blessing.”

The mayor laughed wholeheartedly. “You have a way with words! And travelling by yourself? I hope you’re able to keep your own in a fight now. There are some dangers out there.”

Age nodded, smiling at the Mayor’s caring attitude. “I can.”

Ilia game into the room, a few towels in her arms. Wordlessly she offered them to Age who gladly accepted them and began to dry his face and shoulders.

“I’ll go see if we have some food to give you.” She said softly. “We should have some bread and cheese.”

“Yes, yes. Good Idea Ilia. Let’s get you fed then now?” Mayor Bo led Age to the small table and chair at the end of the house. Pushing him to sit and relax. “We’ll see about getting your horse in the stables. You rode through that heavy rain didn’t you?”

“I did. Thankfully I don’t have anything of high value on me that could be destroyed by water. I’m lucky.”

“You’re lucky no one found you on the road either. Things might be more peaceful now than they were back then, but you can never be too careful.”

Age was unsure what they meant by ‘back then’ but he could guess it was one of the Link escapades. As that was the most fitting name for a journey nowadays.

Some bread was set before him. Ilia gave him a short smile before stepping away and sitting next to her father, her eyes stuck to the table. 

“Thank you both.” He only now realized he had been eating nothing but dried food and water for the past week. The feeling of real food in his stomach was enough to make him think about a possible career in baking. 

“Ah!” Mayor Bo interjected. “I’ve just realized that I don’t know your name young man. Where do you come from?”

Oh yes! He hadn’t introduced himself. “I’m sorry. My name is Link. I come from Castletown.” It was no use to try and use his title in a Hyrule that didn’t know him. And judging by their accent he guessed he was just outside the border. So it would mean very little to them anyway. 

“Another Link eh?” Mayor Bo speculated. “I think that makes you the third I’ve met.”

His interest piqued, Age raised an eyebrow. “Really? I’ve met a few as well.”

“A popular name for sure.” He murmured. “There was a young man who lived here. His name was Link. I’m not sure how much you know about the rise and fall of Ganon but his heroics should ring a bell.”

So Age was in someone’s hometown then. His mind selected Twilight as the most likely candidate. 

“I’ve spent the last few years in and out of the country. I’m a merchant by trade.” He lied. “From what I’ve heard, and it was very little, there were shadow beasts?” He vaguely tried to recall what Twilight had told them about his adventure, not much apparently.

“Yes.” Mayor Bo nodded. “Bulblins attacked this village. Captured the-“ he paused. “I’m sorry Ilia, maybe I shouldn’t discuss this around you. Would you like to go and sleep for the night while I get Link situated?”

Without a word she nodded and got up. Giving a slight bow towards Age, she scurried upstairs. 

“Sorry about that.” Mayor Bo apologized. “Bulblins kidnapped the children, Ilia included. Link had to go save them.”

“Really?” Age didn’t want to pry into things Twilight might want to know. He’d feel uncomfortable if someone got his life story without his knowledge. “He sounds like a real hero.”

“He is. But he left a few months ago. Said he’s finally getting answers to something he’s been looking for for a while. Something about his family.”

“Interesting.”

“Very. Ilia was close to him, she wanted him to stay but he left in the night without a proper goodbye. We haven’t seen him since.”

The one thing Age didn’t see Twilight as was a heartbreaker. What was next? 

“I’m sure that wherever he is, he’s safe and sound.”

“Oh I know that.” He waved away Age’s comment. “I just don’t want the boy to turn into a traveling hermit- not that there’s anything wrong with that of course. I’d just like to see him more often than not.”

“Understandable.” Age hummed. 

“Anyway. You must be tired. There’s spare room on the couch and we have extra lodging for your horse. Don’t worry about taking care of him, I can handle that while you dry off.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

\---

“Time I fucked up.” 

Legend and Time were alone in the small room in the inn. Twilight and Wind were out getting water to wash their armor tomorrow, refusing to ask Anju to do it for them. 

Time gave Legend a quizzical glance. “I’m curious as to why you’re so ready to tell me that.”

“I fucked up and told Wind that Age was going to die and now he’s paranoid.”

Time stopped what he was doing, and at that moment he was folding and sorting his various maps, and sighed. “Why?”

“Because- cause I don’t know.” Legend huffed. “Warriors and Twilight got into an argument. Apparently he doesn’t like Age and was sick of Wind constantly talking about him like he was the second coming of Hylia.”

“Alright?”

“And, well I’ll be honest I was kinda on his side. Wind was getting annoying and I wanted to try and show to him that Age wasn’t the perfect angel of a human being-”

“By telling him he was going to die.” Time finished his sentence.

“By telling him Age was going to die, yeah.” Legend repeated.

“That was a bad idea.”

“Yeah, I get that Time. Now what do I do?”

Time shrugged, continuing to stack the maps. “You told him the truth. Sure you really shouldn’t have but, you did anyway. He was going to find out sooner or later. I thought he would be the first after me maybe.”

“Yeah but now he’s scared that Age is pretty much dead now since he’s gone.” Legend remarked. “I feel like an asshole and I know I probably am.”

“Don’t blame yourself.”

“But-”

“Stop.” Time put a hand to the bridge of his nose. Sighing he thought for a bit. “We got a sheikah stone. Similarly to the one that Wind has. When we split up I gave it to Age. Using Wild’s slate we’ll probably be able to contact him. I know he’s fine and It’ll help Wind.”

“How did you get one of those?”

“I won it in a card game against an old hag.”

“Makes sense.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1/ I have never played TP so if this is garbage characterization of Mayor Bo you cannot hold me reliable
> 
> 2\. When I wrote the line “Their goal was to kill Dark Link” but on instinct I wrote “Young Link ” and now I’m imagining an alternate reality where the Link's goal is to find Mask and beat him up.


	18. Ordon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age in Ordon! What will he do?
> 
> Not a lot actually

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter but that's okay
> 
> Also my I key is really sticky for some reason? What's up with that?

Ordon was peaceful in the mornings. Fog rose from the surrounding lake, the strained light pouring out from the mountains cast the town in a soft yellow glow. The sound of frogs croaking and goats. coupled with the damp smell of moss and green brought back memories long forgotten. Age never remembered how much he forgot until, on days like these, it all came flooding back to him. 

This being a farming and livestock village, he wasn’t the first awake. Ilia had woken him with a bowl of soup. Such a kind gesture. Mayor Bo insisted he stay and rest for longer, that after a night like the last one, it was better to stay put and see if he caught a cold while in a house of friendly people, not on the road. 

He hesitantly agreed. Not wanting to burden them any further. To keep busy he wandered around instead. There was a kind family who waved hello to him, children that approached him, asking if he was there to stay. With a smile he had informed them that he was just passing through. As an afterthought he asked for the directions to Link’s house. 

A little girl pointed him to the very end of the village. After following the path for a while, Age found it. A humble house built nestled into the trunk of a tree. Only accessible by a small ladder. 

Scenes of his old house flashed across his mind as he gazed at it. The small paintings Age had made at the base of the tree with a rock Saria give him. The ladder that threatened to give out each time he climbed it. Only partially the reason he started jumping off the balcony instead of climbing down. 

But unlike his ladder, Twilight’s was very sturdy. Had he built this place himself? Or was it inherited by his parents? Age hoped he wasn’t being rude by entering Twilight’s house while he wasn’t there.

Knocking gently on the door as a precaution, when no one answered he opened it ajar. The inside was homey. Rugged carpets hung from the walls, a cauldron stood empty in front of an abandoned fireplace. The dark wooden floors were covered from view by a rug. There were only a few windows castling light in here. He imagined a lit fireplace and the dancing lights flickering in the interior. Twilight lived a comfy life here. 

But, why did he leave? Mayor Bo made no mention of him leaving with several companions, only about Twilight having found something related to his past. Age could sympathize with his desire to know more. Twilight had no mention of family if he recalled correctly. While Four spoke of his grandfather, Legend somewhat of his uncle, and some other Link’s had family members to look up to, Twilight had never made mention of anyone. 

A sudden disappearance would bother anyone, especially in this small area. 

Age shook the thoughts out of his head. He couldn’t ask Twilight these things anyway. He was going home. Everyone else was going to figure out the timelines. 

He at least could leave him a note. 

Age searched the room for anything he could write on. He found some parchment and quills. That would do. 

Leaving a letter was the least he could do. A calling card. 

When he left the house, the sun had risen above the mountains. The morning had passed but the light fog persisted. A side effect of all the rain from the night previous he was sure. 

Once he climbed down the balcony, he noticed a smaller path, leading deeper into the forest. It forked from the main road, the one Age would take if he was going to move further from Ordon. Which he was. Hylia didn’t move people who weren’t already moving themselves. Instinct told him to go down it. See what was there.

It seemed familiar. 

He turned away. No, there wasn’t time for adventure. Kaise had been taking up room in the Mayor’s stable for too long. The kindness of these people was overwhelming. He saw where Twilight got it from. 

Memory pulled him back to the heart of Ordon. Where even with the mist covering the ground, the children still played with sticks and hoops. The girl from before perked up when she saw him. “He’s back!” She called. The children all took notice of him and waved. 

“Good morning.” He nodded hello to a woman who stood outside her door, watching the children play. 

She looked to be middle aged, holding a small toddler firmly to her chest. “Good Morning stranger. I heard you arrived late last night.”

“I did. The storm caught me by surprise.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. You look to be well. My name is Uli.” She introduced herself. 

Age gave a slight bow. “I’m Link. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Link?” She repeated his name. “You don’t look to be older than myself. Would you know the Link down in the house at the end of the path?”

Age could lie to her. Like he did Mayor Bo, he could tell her it was a common name and he was a merchant. But she had a look in her eye. One that compelled him to speak truthfully. A mother’s gaze.

“I do Ma’am. I’ve travelled with him for a while.”

Uli relaxed. A relieved smile on her face. “Is he safe?” 

Age imagined Twilight with everyone. Them around a campfire as the poked fun at one another. “He is.”

“Good.” She sighed. “That boy saved Hyrule then came back here like it was another tuesday. If you’ve seen him you probably know that he left a while back. He told me and my husband Rusl he was leaving. Scared me half to death when we couldn’t find him in the morning.”

“I’m sorry to hear he left so suddenly. He never mentioned Ordon.”

“Probably for the better.” She shook her head. “I hope he’s getting the closure he needs. Now what’s your business with him?”

“I’m a traveler by trade.” That was part of the lie he would be willing to stick with. “I found him and a few others together and accompanied them from here to there.”

“Others?”

“Yes.” Age tried to withhold some information. Make up some more lies. Unlike some family members, she had no idea what was going on, just a concerned mother figure. “We were all the traveling type who had nothing better to do.”

“Oh, alright. As long as he’s safe and well.”

Age agreed. “You said something about his family. Did his parents live here?”

Uli frowned. “No one knows exactly. He showed up when he was maybe older than her.” She gestures to the toddler in her arms. “Climbed into the treehouse that had been made by someone. No one knows who, and called it his house.”

“Was he wild?” Age asked. 

“Strangely enough, he was well mannered. He only yelled when he was being yelled at first, and made sure that his house was clean.” She explained. “I was freshly married at the time and made it my duty to stop by when I could and take care of him.”

“That was very kind of you.”

“It was kind of Hylia to make sure he made it here safely.”

“Did he ever mention where he came from?”

“No. I’m not sure he remembers anything. When I tried to ask about parents he told me they weren’t there and wouldn’t say anything else.” Uli cast her eyes away from Age, down the path that led to the treehouse. “When he came to me and told me he had found something. He looked, excited. I’m sure he was desperate for anything regarding family.”

Twilight. Age’s view of him stood somewhat scattered at the moment. Goddess allow it they would meet back up again. When the timelines had been soothed and Dark Link once again chained to his own realm. 

Of course Twilight was curious. About his family, where he came from. Age had always assumed he had been an immortal child surrounded by other immortal children. But Twilight had grown up a pointy eared Hylian with no parents in a farming town. If anyone was allowed to have questions, it was him.

“Ma’am.” he started. “While I didn’t know him for long, I’d say he’s found something akin to family.”

“Really?”

He thought back to the way Time would let his eyes linger on him too long. And when they talked over the stone, Time made sure Twilight knew he was proud of him. He thought of Wind riding on his shoulders, claiming he was too tired to walk. About how Legend teased him about his hair. 

“I’d believe so.” 

Uli rested her shoulders, letting out a deep breath. “I’m glad.”

\---

“You’re welcome back anytime.” Anju said, her disappointment at their departure evident. 

She held herself tall behind the counter, Time and Twilight the only ones still in the Inn. Legend and Four had taken the others to the beach where they had first turned up. Their goodbyes to Romani and Cremia had been said the night before. They needed to be on their way soon. Kafei was still asleep. Not to wake up for another few hours. 

Time grinned. “I’ll see if I can ever make it back here. Every time I’ve come here it’s been an accident.”

“Well then, make the third time work for us, why don’t you?

“No promises.”

Anju gave him a sweet smile. “Well, no matter what, no matter how old you get, you’re still that kid I met twenty years ago.“

“Well I’d like to imagine that I’ve gro-”

“Oh hush.” Anju rolled her eyes, stepping out from behind the counter to give Time a swift hug. She pulled Twilight into a tight embrace, making sure to ruffle his hair. “You have a good head on your shoulders sweetheart. Make sure it stays on straight.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Twilight nodded. “Thank you. For everything.”

“Speak nothing of it.” 

Anju waved them off. Shouting her well wishes. Twilight kept his eyes on Time’s back as they navigated through the town. Time knew everyone. He nodded to every stand owner and the passing teens. 

He remembered what Kafei had told them. When he had sat down with him and Warriors, telling them everything Time had told them when he was here last. 

Twilight had no reason to not believe. The Hero of Time was older than he looked, this was an easy way to rack up the years.

Time spoke as soon as they left the west gate. “So.” He started. “How much did Kafei tell you?”

Twilight glanced to his face. He didn’t seem angry. That was a good sign. 

“Everything. I think.”

“You think?” Time raised an eyebrow. “Knowing Kafei I was halfway expecting him to pull out a journal with detailed pictures. Maybe even show you the wedding dress.”

“You knew?”

Time shrugged. “You stayed with the right people. ‘Side’s, I wasn’t going to keep everything from you forever.” 

He and Twilight walked in silence. The beach coming into view in the distance. 

“You can ask questions you know.” Time prompted.

Twilight blinked. “Alright? Do you still have all of your masks? Like the transformation ones.”

“Yes. I don’t carry them with me. They’re at the farm.”

“Oh.” It was pretty cool, imagining Time as a Goron. Or a Zora. “Does the scar carry over?” He asked without thinking. 

Time laughed. “Yes. It does. As well as the markings. Yours would too.” He said, pointing to Twilight’s own black markings on his forehead. 

“That’s cool.”

“Very.”

“Warriors was there too.” Twilight added as an afterthought. 

“Warriors knew me when I was maybe a month out of that place. I’m pretty sure he knew everything beforehand.”

“Who else knows? Does Malon-”

“Malon knows. Her father does too but he doesn’t believe anything I say. Zelda, Impa, Warriors, Age, and you.”

“Age? When did you?”

“I told him around the same time you boys wound up here.” He stopped talking. They were at the stairs leading to the beach now. “No more questions. We’re going to meet up with the others.”

Twilight nodded silently. Following Time behind him once again. 

“What took you guys so long?” Legend hollered. “Do you know how much sand I have in my boots right now?”

“I’ll put more in if you don’t quit your whining!” Twilight threatened. 

“Time! Twilight is bullying me.”

Time shook his head. “Come to think of it. I was on vacation wasn’t I?”

“We’re glad to have you back?” Four suggested.

“Thank you Four. Now!” He raised his voice so everyone would listen. “The most effective way we’ve found to get from one place to another is to get hopelessly lost and randomly find ourselves somewhere else.”

“The alternative being a portal right?” Sky recalled. 

“The other option being a portal, correct.” Time affirmed. “The problem right now is that there is no portal, and there is no way I can get lost in this place.”

“That well huh?” Warriors questioned. “No possible way?”

“None.” 

“What are you suggesting then? Blindfold you? Get you an eyepatch?” 

“Boats.”

“Hell yes!” Wind shouted. He shot a fist into the air. “Boat time baby!” He paused. “Where do we get a boat here?”

“Pirates.”

“Fuck yeah!” Wind was back to his jumping around. 

Hyrule bit his lip. “Pirates in Termina? Are they the good kind?”

Time smirked. “Gerudo Pirates.”

_ Ah. Okay then. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am trying to be sneaky but I'm almost certain you all know where 'm going with with. 
> 
> Also I've consdidered looking for a beta reader. Which has always been a "maaaayyybbeee?" Thing for me since I mostly write fics for myself. But if you're interested hit me up on my discord. -Lucy-#3217


	19. Pirates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerudo Pirates! And mother instinct Twilight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to keep updating this fic till i die, you all get to watch me.  
> updates are slow but I think that's not something I need to actually say.

Finding the pirate fortress was easy. There were no attempts to hide the giant structure along the cliffs of the beach, it towered over the sea, only a few ports to hold boats docked along the edges. 

“They’re Gerudo right?” Twilight asked no one. “Do they run by the same honor system our Gerudo have? Beat ‘em up and they let you in?”

Time shook his head. “I never really did that here. But unless you’re they’re prisoner they want nothing to do with you.”

Wind, who had been sitting on Twilight’s shoulders, tried his best to get a better look at the place. “Well do we let them capture us?” 

“Maybe. I always used the stone mask. I have it on me.”

The group observed the actions of the fortress for a little while longer. A few boats filled with women came in and out, all stone faced and armed to the teeth in scimitars and daggers. 

“I guess going in swords blazing isn’t an option then.” Warriors mused. “A secret operation then? Time’s mask covers him, or someone else?”

“Yeah! I’m good at sneaking around!” Wind clammered, his fists digging into the furs of Twilight’s coat to keep him steady as he bounced. 

“Maybe. We just need a boat. I’m sure that we don’t have to necessarily need to get into the fortress to get one.” Four added. “All we know is straight up talking to them, or communication in any is going to get us what we want.”

“Well.” Wild started, looking hesitant. “How do we know they won’t talk to us?”

“They’re Gerudo,” Legend said matter of factly “They don’t talk to men.”

“About that- Do you think they’d be willing to talk to any women? Time?”

Time stared at the small patrol, lost in thought. “It’s possible. I never got any of the women of clocktown to follow me here when I was younger, Never needed it. Why?”

Wild grimaced, casting his gaze to the wet sand beneath their feet. “About the women’s clothes Warriors found in my satchel a few weeks back.”

\---

The plan (for now) was simple. 

_Wild goes in, dressed as a woman._

“Wait wait, _that’s_ how you got into Gerudo’s fortress in your Hyrule?” Legend scoffed. 

“Got a problem?” Wild snapped.

Legend smirked. “No. Just impressed they didn’t take one sniff in your direction and immediately call your bluff.”

“Oh shut up.”

_He’s accompanied by someone wearing Time’s stone mask._

Time said that while it hid your body, it did nothing to muffle sound, and his armor was too clunky and precious to shed. Wing had begged for the chance and had eventually convinced everyone that he was indeed the quietest of them all. 

“I’ve snuck around half of the ocean! I can take on one fortress.” He had argued. “And what? Are you scared I’ll not be enough?”

That was when they had given in. 

If things turn sour or if Wild is found out, Wind is there to protect him and provide backup. 

_Wild convinces them they need a boat. He goes in with enough to buy a boat if necessary. (No unnecessary purchases.)_

“They don’t strike me as the generous type.” Hyrule commented. “How much does a boat cost anyway?”

Warriors had sat down at this point, now preening at his scarf. “Hopefully they are lenient with Wild’s fake story of his four sisters that need to escape this place.” 

“Yeah.” Wild nodded. “I hope they do.”

“Do I get to steal a boat if they say no to everything?” 

“Sure”

\---

Now with a plan, Wild and Wind set off, promising to meet up with everyone at that exact spot no matter the outcome. 

“Promise you’ll make it back safe.” Twilight asked them. 

Wind rolled his eyes. “We’re not planning on getting into any fights.”

“Yeah Twilight.” Wild chuckled. “Worst comes to worse, I get hit on. We’ll be fine."

Twilight bit the inside of his cheek. Splitting up with anyone felt wrong at the moment. He wished he could go with them. “Alright.” 

“No really Twi. You’re on edge. Take a breath and relax.”

Twilight did nothing but give them a small smile, and wave slightly as they marched down the sandy slope towards the ground entrance.

He turned to everyone else, now a mix of sitting and standing on the beach. 

“This should just take a few hours right? We’re just going to wait for them here?” Hyrule wondered. 

Time laughed. “Unless you want to talk to the old man who asked me to get pictures of the gerudo women, he lives right down the beach.” 

“Ew, no.”

Twilight glanced at the ocean they would hopefully be sailing across this time tomorrow. It glistened in the afternoon light, almost hard to look at. 

Where would they end up?

\---

“You know I think I can see how they all thought you were a girl.” Wind said as he saw Wild step out from behind a steep rock.

“Oh wow really?” Wild gestured to the veil covering his face. “It’s a disguise.” He pocketed his old clothes into the sheikah slate. “Here,” he handed the slate to Wind. “You get to hold onto this.”

“I do?” Wind immediately started messing with the slate, Wild heard the click of the camera.

“It's valuable. I’m not sure if these Gerudo are above stealing my stuff. You’re going to be completely invisible.”

“Yeah that makes sense.” Wind held the slate close up to his eyes. “Your pictures look a lot more defined than mine.”

“Mhhmh, sure. Let’s go.”

It didn’t take them long to reach the great wooden doors of the fortress. There was no civilian opening, no windows. Just giant double doors and archer points dotted across the tops of the wall. 

Wind slipped the stone mask on, becoming invisible to the world. 

Taking a deep breath, Wild knocked on the doors. 

There was no immediate answer. Wild knocked a few more times before a shout was heard from above. 

“Voe or Vai!”

Wild looked up, a Gerudo woman in orange looked out from one of the archer points. “Vai!” he shouted back. He knew his voice was feminine enough to pass for a womens if he tried.

“What is your business!”

“I need your help!”

She disappeared for a second. Wild could hear faint shouting from within. Soon the double doors were cracking open. A different woman stood before him. She was larger, darker skinned, with a few scars around her arms.

She grabbed Wild’s hand and pulled him in, the doors were shut by the woman in orange and someone else. 

Wild hoped Wind had been able to slip in. 

He now stood on a stone ground. It looked like the square of clocktown almost. A lookout tower stood in the middle of the room. Many platforms and doorways led to different parts of the fortress. 

“Now.” The women who pulled him in spoke. “How can we help?”

Wild was unsure if this woman was the chieftess, but there was no way for him to ask for an audience. 

“I need to run away.” He said with caution. “My sisters and I have been taken to this place against our will.”

“This place? Clocktown?”

“Yes.” Wild confirmed. He tried to remember what Time had told him for their cover story. “We lived in a land far west from here. But we were taken here against our will.”

“Where are your sisters?”

“They are where we hide. We managed to get ourselves away from the man who took us. A balding man- with tattoos on his head.”

Her eyes narrowed. A scowl appeared on her face. “Sakkon.” 

“Uh, yes.”

“That bastard.” She spat. “Here, come with me. I will take you to the chief. We will help you.”

She started to march towards one of the archways, Wild tentatively followed her, encouraged by the gerudo in orange.

“Worry not vehvi, we will get you and your sisters home.” She whispered in his ear and they walked along. 

Wild could feel the guilt creep up in his chest.

\---

This Gerudo chief was very much unlike Riju. She sat on a wooden chair instead of a throne, a desk in front of her and an eyepatch covering her right eye. She wasn’t dressed like the many Gerudo Wild had seen, clothed more after the style of the pirates they had met in Wind’s Hyrule. Her age was given away by the streaks of silver in her faded red hair, but despite her age she was clearly a fearsome warrior, if the multiple weapons around the small room had anything to say.

She surveyed Wild with a glare that struck him to his core. “Nadine, Sara, what have you brought me?” 

The woman that had led him, Nadine, gave a short bow. Wild followed suit with Sara. “This girl seeks our help. She has been dragged far, her and her sisters require assistance getting home.”

“Our help?” She repeated. “You believe her?”

Wild’s stomach lurched. 

“Yes Chief. Sara can stand by me as well.”

“Hmph, Let me see that for myself.” She huffed. “Leave us.”

“Yes Chief.” Nadine and Sara left the room, the door only slightly ajar.

“So, Vai, what brings you here?”

He could hear his heart thumping in his chest. Someone behind him let out a sharp breath, Wild almost turned to see before realizing it was Wind’s way of letting him know he was there. Good to know he made it in. 

“We need a boat.” He said quickly, trying not to panic. “My sisters and I- we were taken from our home against our will, we need help getting home.”

The Chief raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?” She ran her eyes over his body. “You look like you’ve been through a lot. Where do you hail from?”

“Hyrule. Far west from here.”

She studied him before speaking. “And may I ask why, if you are so stuck and lost here, so poor and alone, you show up at our fortress in our clothes? I don’t suppose Sara gave you some of hers?”

Shit, they didn’t think of that. 

“No-” He struggled to think of an excuse. “In Hyrule there are Gerudo as well, I got these clothes from home.”

“And your kidnapper was so gracious as to let you pack your bags before he stole your entire family away?”

He could feel his heart rate jump, there wasn’t anything he could say to justify this, was there a Gerudo tailor in Termina? He couldn’t backtrack. “Look-” He started. “We just need a boat to fit us all so we can go home. I’ve been able to get my hands on some money, we could pay-”

“Enough.” The Chief ordered. “Nadine!” 

Nadine appeared at the door, a cimeter in hand. “Yes?”

“Get this vehvi a boat. Let it fit ten. She will pay for half.” 

“Yes Chief.”

“Now.”

Nadine was gone. 

“Follow her.” She ordered. 

Wild had no issue with following her instruction, gladly taking a step towards the door when the Chief started to speak.

“I don’t appreciate being lied to.”

Wild stopped, preparing himself to be run through with a spear. 

“But you had the guts to do it to my face. Whatever you need will be provided within reason.”

Wild spun around and bowed deeply. He tried to recall the little gerudo he knew. “Sarsqo.” He thanked. 

“Think nothing of it.”

He left the room, running to catch up with Nadine, a satisfied smile under his veil. 

\---

“I know you said you only had five including you, but the chief said ten, I hope you all find this comfortable.” Nadine explained, showing off the sizeable ship Wild was to be receiving. 

“It’s perfect Nadine. Thank you so much.” He bowed to her. 

“Oh, no need to bow.” She hurriedly waved him up. “You bow to chiefs and the elderly. I am not that old yet.”

His face grew hot. ”Oh I apologize.” 

“No matter. Do you know how to sail this?”

Wild didn’t but Wind probably could. “Yes.”

“Impressive. Now, I understand you will need to board in secret?”

“Most likely tonight.”

Nadine nodded. “Then I will send Sara to you today with the food you will be needing. She will meet you here in an hour. We will all be gone by sundown.”

“Thank you.” Wild hadn't the heart to tell them that his slate could carry enough food to feed an army. 

“No need. I hope you return to your home safely.” She gave him a short pat on the back, strolling away from the shore, back to the fortress.

There were a few seconds of silence as she disappeared from his point of view. A few moments later Wind pulled off the stone mask. 

“Phew.” He let out a sigh. “I thought for sure I was going to get to fight something today.” 

Wild shot him a glare. “We don’t want to fight them Wind.”

“I know! I know. But when the chief started calling us out I kinda felt cornered. But hey! We got the boat.” We shoved the sheikah slate into Wild’s hands before jogging up to the boat. “Just by looking at the outside I can tell that she’s a beauty. Probably only one room below deck, this was made for good weather only.” 

“Will it be enough?” Wild asked. 

“Oh, more than perfect.” Wind’s smile was almost infectious. “Should I run back to the others and tell them what’s up?” 

“Yeah.” Wild agreed. “I can stay and wait here for Sara. Meet up at eleven?” 

“With Time on our side we’ll probably be there early.” Wind snarked. Needing no further prompting he skipped around the beach. 

Wild and Wind had only been with the Gerudo for three hours at most but it had felt much shorter. HIs mind wandered to Twilight. He had been so worried for them. It wasn’t out of character for him to worry, Wild just hoped he was okay. Or whatever was bothering him would pass. 

\---

Twilight wouldn’t say he was paranoid. He most definitely was not. He was just cautious. And being cautious was a good thing right now no matter how much Legend nagged him for it. 

They had stayed on the beach, watching the sun climb higher and higher in the sky. The minutes seemed to move slowly underneath the heat. It wasn’t too bad, only annoying. 

“Are you cooking in there old man?” Warriors asked Time. Who didn’t look the slightest bit overheated. 

“Yeah, you’re wearing almost three layers aren’t you?” Four said. He and a few of the others had sat down on the rocky outcrop, building small towers out of rock. 

Time smirked. “How do you know I’m wearing anything at all-”

“Nevermind! Forget I asked!” Warriors was red in the face. 

Twilight chuckled. “You’re gross Time.”

He only shrugged, casting his eye away from the few on the rocks. Twilight was the only one sitting close to him. That was alright for both of them. 

“This armor is actually very good at keeping me cool.” He explained much to Twilight’s surprise. “It’s got some magic stored in it given to me by a great fairy.”

“That's- actually very handy.” Twilight thought for a moment. “Was it a great fairy from here?”

“I can’t remember actually.” Time sobered up. Switching the conversation. “Do you think they ran into any trouble?” He was talking about Wild and Wind. “You seem rather on edge.”

Twilight sighed. “I think they have good heads on their shoulders. I’m just- worried you could say?”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I mean,” Twilight tried to gather his thoughts. “I don't want to get separated again. Not that I was scared! I was never scared for you and all that,” He didn’t want to insult Time by insinuating that he might not be capable.

“You are a great fighter, and so is Wild, and Age, and everyone here, including Wind.” Twilight explained. He was wringing his hands. “But I still worry.” 

Time let out a soft laugh. “You definitely have Malon’s worrying genes.”

Twilight frowned, folding his arms. He was about to open his mouth to defend himself but Time continued talking.

“It was worrying to get separated from you all. There was some humor in it of course, I could finally spend some time with myself.” He laughed at his own pun, Twilight rolled his eyes. “We found ourselves at the ranch and I got to introduce Age and Malon. She was a real darling.”

“Did you stay for long?”

Time shook his head. “As much as I would have liked to. We had to focus on meeting backup with you all.”

“We were capable-”

“Oh I know you are all.” Time interrupted him. “Legend alone could probably deal twice the damage I could in a single battle.” He hesitated. “We met a witch. Age and I. She was an old hag, I couldn’t remember her name. But she said you were in danger, gave us a stone to contact Wild and Wind, and sent us on our way.”

“Me?” Twilight physically pointed to himself. “She said I was in trouble?”

Time rolled his eye. “Not exactly. She said my son was in danger. I know she meant you.”

Pride swelled in his heart. Time thought of him as a _son_. But he didn’t need to focus on that right now. “Is that why you sounded worried when Age was able to contact Wild?”

“Part of it.” Time nodded. “She also said that Age was in the same danger as you.”

“And he’s alright right?”

“Well, the old hag said he would be given a choice out if he wanted. She told him he would be safe if he left."

“You said he left because he needed to go back home-”

“And he did. Age originally decided to stick it to fate and come along, but he got a letter from his wife. He’s a king, he needed to go home.”

Twilight stared out to the ocean still. “And now he’s gone.”

“Not for good. We can still Hyrule hop, and I gave him the stone. Wind shouldn’t cry so often now.” Time turned to him. “He seemed rather upset to know that Age had left.”

Twilight bit his lip. “I mean, yeah. They may not be blood related, but Age is to Wind what you are to me. A living legend. A father figure.” He trailed off. 

“I see.”

“Yeah. Wind didn’t really get to goodbye.”

"If I could have let him have one I would have. But with Legend's meddling." He paused. 

"Did the Legend do something?"

"Not particularly. But I'd advise asking Warriors about it."

“The Captain? What happened Time?”

Time sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No. Don’t ask me right now. Ask Warriors or- Legend later. After I talk to them.”

“Okay?” He could feel his mind buzzing. What didn’t he know? He was in danger wasn’t he? But he wasn’t in any danger at all?

“Hey everyone guess what!” Wind’s voice came barreling through their mock camp. “We got a boat!” He came bounding into camp, thankfully not a scratch on him.

Four gawked. “You guys actually?”

“Yeah!” Wind nodded enthusiastically. “The pirate lady totally knew we were lying through our teeth but she was super cool and let us slide. And Wild has some new Gerudo friends!"

Time took his attention away from Twilight. “That’s great news.” He cast his gaze to where Wind had come from. “Is Wild behind you?”

Wind shook his head. “The captain lady made us pay for half the boat, but she’s giving us the necessities for a boat for free. Wild is making sure we get them. He’s waiting for us at-” Wind listed the exact location where Wild was.

Time caught the look in Twilight’s eyes. “Go.” He said low enough that no one else could hear. “Keep him company.”

Twilight shot him a look of gratitude. He didn’t say anything, just jogged out of site away from the beach. Once sure no one was listening, he transformed into a wolf, glady shedding the extra layers of clothing in favor of fur. 

He set off for Wild as the sun dipped into the ocean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo I love Nadine. The Gerudo are just calling Wild either a girl or a child.
> 
> -
> 
> me in the early chapters: Literally all about Age. It's the story about him. His POV only!!
> 
> me now: Age had been taken outback and shot? Twilight is the new main character.
> 
> Don't worry, The next chapter will be in Age's pov


	20. The forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get back to Age. He's just having fun and chilling out in Ordon ain't he? Maybe? Who knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I had to give this fic an update schedule I'd say twice a month. Once I get over this arc I'm going to go on haitus, looking back I'm really not happy with the first few chapters. This was the third work of fiction I'd ever seriously written and it shows. So I'll be putting a temp halt on everything until I can go back and add more foreshadowing, character interactions, yadda yadda yadda. It might take anywhere between a month or five depending on how bust I am. I might take a few months off of work for school reasons, but if I did that I would also join another sport just to keep me occupied. It would free up more writing time but I'm still considering it so I don't have any solid plans.

Age had been ready to leave, he was just about to ride out of town. But due to unfortunate circumstances, the filthy rain had returned. 

He cursed not being able to get to where he quite literally needed to be, but Mayor Bo had been insistent that he stay put before he catches a cold on his way. Ilia hadn’t said much to him, but she did keep her eye on him as he tried to argue his way out of their couch that night. 

“I can’t take your hospitality. I can’t.”

“Nonsense. You’re a young man, I can’t throw you out now.”

“I’m thirty-two, I appreciated the help but really-”

The sound of thunder rocked the panes in the windows.

He had lost the argument. 

Bitterly, but hopefully still with some grace, he accepted the food that Ilia so kindly offered him, and let sleep take him.

The next morning was as foggy and bitingly cold as the last day was. Unlike yesterday where it was a feeling of mystery and familiarity, today was only cold. 

He grabbed some extra capes from his pack, the few blankets they had lent him were wrapped tightly around his person as he stepped outside. His mind wandered to Twilight’s house. He wanted to visit again.

_The forest._ The small road that led to the misty darkness. There was something that kept bringing his mind to it, he couldn’t place it. 

He blinked his thoughts away. People were waking up soon, he had to go inside. 

Stumbling inside the small house. He winced at the creaking sound the door made as it was pushed open. The house was as empty as he had left it. Age knew there were two people sleeping soundly upstairs, two people. Until they got downstairs Age was alone in the living room. Had he been a more equipped guest he would try to make them breakfast, his cooking skills were nothing to brag about although he guessed that anyone could throw oats into hot water and add butter. 

What had he to do then? He would never dare to snoop through their house, he didn’t even feel up to leaving the house again.

Why did he feel so drained?

Age pulled a chair from the dining table. Resting upon it he let his mind think while he stared out of the window. 

He slept well, he had been eating well, he had exercised in the form of horse riding, and had participated in many other physical activities. So why did he feel so tired?

_ Mist, forest, go.  _

Again, the forest came to mind. What was down that path?

There was an urge buried deep within him. An itch under his skin. Some dust in his throat. Go. 

Would they think he was rude if he left now? To take Kaise, write them a note saying goodbye, and leave?

The soft padding of feet down the stairs. The doorway curtain was pulled back. 

“Good morning.” Ilia greeted softly. 

_ Tell her you’re going. That you’re leaving now! Tell her! Go! _

“Good morning Ilia.” He echoed. 

“Did you sleep well? The storm last night kept me up for a while.” She moved to the tea kettle, opening a small drawer, and pulling dried tea leaves from it. “I’m making tea, would you like some?”

“I slept well.” His own voice sounded distant. What was going on? Why did he feel as if he had been hit over the head?

“The storm last night was quite hard, I bet the goats are scared.” She said softly. Age wasn’t sure he had ever heard her raise her voice. 

“Will they be okay?”

“Yes. I’m going to visit them. Would you like to keep me company?”

“I would like that.”

\---

Age watched as Ilia, with a stick in one hand, corralled the goats out of their small shed. They were jumpy and afraid to be touched, but it was clear they recognized her.

Now that the town was somewhat awake Age had actually put on boots to walk outside. As well as a thicker coat. Moving around later would warm him up now that he wasn’t free to drag their blankets outside with him. 

A black sheepdog was helping to corral the goats. It must have been in the shed with the goats because Age hadn’t seen him before. The dog was very happy to see Ilia, doing it’s best to help her spread out the goats. 

He had followed her out here with the intent to help her, he now realized that he had no idea how to deal with farm animals. Horses were easy, goats, cows, pigs and the like were not. 

Now looking at the goats, their circular horns atop their heads. It struck him that it was these goats that were represented on Twilight’s shield. He had mistakenly assumed they were a mythical beast, not a tribute to his hometown. 

Did he paint them himself?

Leaning backwards on the interior of the fence surrounding the animals, Age relaxed. Tired thought he still was, it was now the tired that came with mornings, not drained and dried for the birds to eat.

Ilia strolled over to him, without a word she hopped on the fence herself and watched with him as the goats grazed on the wet grass. 

The sky still shone gray, no blue to be spotted. It might still rain but it would be safe to assume that the night before had been the worst of it. However the wind blew colder. Summer had passed in this Hyrule, now getting ready for a cold fall. Snow would fall earlier he guessed. Not that he would be around to see it. 

“So.” Ilia started out, quite as always. “Papa told me you traveled with Link for a time.”

Age nodded slightly. 

“I know that he’s alright, because it’s him and he’s done this before.”

Age nodded again. “He’s good at it too.”

Ilia gave a soft smile. “That’s good to hear. But, and forgive my forwardness, you said your name was Link as well right?”

“It is.” 

“Link- He left because he needed to find himself, figure out where he came from, he said.” He could see her actively try to organize her thoughts. “You’ve met him. And you- You look like him as well. A bit.”

Ah. 

Age couldn’t help a smile creep up his face. 

“I’m sorry if I’m assuming anything sir, I’ve just been thinking-”

He interrupted her with a chuckle. He recalled what Time had told him concerning descendants, how and why Malon took a particular liking to the farm boy hero. And why said hero looked somewhat like the Hero of Time. 

“No no, you’re practically spot on.” He said. “In fact, Link has found some more family members. He didn’t find his parents, I’m not sure what happened to them honestly. But my cousin is his Uncle. I’m more of a first cousin once removed kinda guy.”

“Really? He found his family?” There was a degree of wonder and happiness in her question that kept the smile on his face.

“Yeah. There are some more family travelling in the little boot squad, but like me they’re so far removed it hardly counts. Me and his uncle bear the most resemblance to each other.”

Ilia closed her eyes, letting her head lull to one side, a smile plastered on her face. “It’s good to know he’s happy. Do you know if he’s coming home soon?”

“I do not.” He thought for a moment. “Why, do you love him?”

“Yes.”

Oh. 

“He’s always been there for me. Always.” She continued. “He’s saved me more times than I can count. And while he might have an attitude about him when I nag at him about horses, he actually listens to me.” She sighed. “I worry about him. I know he could never love me back. Seeing as how I’m me, and he knows the princess, no doubt a lot of court ladies and everyone he’s ever met. I’m just the girl he grew up with.”

Now, Age was far  _ far _ from a romantic expert. He himself met his wife when he was nine and never thought of another woman since. He was not the version of himself that turned away the riches of the palace for the quiet solitude of a farm. 

“You’d be surprised.” He told her. “Court women are pretty but can’t herd goats for their lives. Neither can they tame horses or give you advice on how to cook your own food. Not that they’re all impractical ladies. They just put their attention elsewhere. I’ll ask you this though. What do you think Twilight values more?” 

Ilia cast her eyes away from his gaze. 

“Anyone but me.” She mumbled. 

Tentatively, he placed a hand on her shoulder. “I wouldn’t be so harsh on yourself. I’ve heard a lot of heroes are a sucker for a farmgirl who can make good soup.” 

Ilia let out a small chuckle. “Really? Is that what they say now?”

Age nodded profusely. “Oh absolutely.”

\---

The town wasn’t completely unhurt by the storm. As soon as Ilia and Age got back to the house, they had seen Mayor Bo discussing something with a resident. 

“Ah Link! Ilia! Glad to see you.” He called to them. “Here, you know my daughter. And this is Link, a travelling merchant.” He introduced them to the man he was talking to. “This is Kruhger. His house was badly damaged last night.”

“Not my house, my stable.” He corrected the mayor. He was a heavy set man, easily an inch or two taller than Age. His beard covered most of his face, black thick cropped hair topped his head. 

“His stable. Sorry.” Mayor Bo repeated. “Thankfully there was no animal hurt, but it seems that the damage is bad?” He turned back to Kruhger. “Is that correct?”

“It is sir. It’s not the worst but I can’t put any horses in there until it’s fixed.”

Mayor Bo nodded. “Indeed. We were just discussing how best to fix it up. We have the correct amount of wood and supplies, just looking for manpower.”

“You know you can count on me for help.” Age sighed.

“Are you sure? We wouldn’t want to keep you longer then you have to be.”

“As long as I’m here aren’t I? I have to repay you somehow.”

“It would help greatly to have an extra pair of hands. I don’t think I’m young enough to do the lifting all on my own.” Kruhger added.

Mayor Bo mulled it over. “If you’re sure Link. I’d hate to delay you.”

“It’s no matter.” Age shook his head. “I’m ready to start when you are.”   
  


\---

The few working on the stable were him, Kruhger, Rusl, and Rusl’s son Collin. The boy was no older than ten but eager to help them with fetching tools and providing nails. 

A tree had fallen onto the roof. The roof had collapsed into the stable along with one of the four posts holding it up. Taking that out would be the first step.

With saws and axes, they took off the larger branches, able to pull a good chunk of it away from the rubble. Using horses and chains, they pulled the trunk of the oak tree away.

A mess of hay, split wood was left behind. There was no saving the original pole. It lay snapped and strained underneath the remnants of the hay roof. 

“We could grab some carvers tools and make a new pole out of the tree that we just pulled off.” Rusl suggested. “I’m no carver myself but I could make do. Even use the branches as new rafters.”

The men had agreed. Better to save the wood for someone who really needed it. Now until Rusl was done smoothing down the trunk, the hay and broken wood needed to be removed. 

Kruhger fetched a wheelbarrow, Age and Collin got the brooms and pitchforks. Bit by bit they heaved the most of the soggy debris into the wheelbarrow. Once and a while Kruhger would wheel it away to dump it in the forest. Somewhere where it could decompose through the years, or be used as bonfire kindling if it was needed.

There was little talking between them. Collin had lit up when he had learned that Age knew of Twilight. But his father had shied him away from asking too many questions. It had dimmed his mood almost immediately, but Age was grateful seeing as he didn’t even know his own cover story that well. 

Soon the trunk was finished. Rusl joined the three in clearing the stable. 

The weather lightened as they worked. The clouds moving and parting to reveal a blue sky and woefully hot sun. They completed clearing out the stables as 

Kruhger dug a small pit for the base of the trunk to go into. With rope they lifted it upwards, situating it firmly where it was supposed to fit. 

“There we go.” Said Age, giving it a firm slap, grinning when it didn’t budge. 

“The sun is still up. Should we get started on the rafters then?” Rusl suggested.

“Lunch first. Then rafters.” Kruger decided. 

They all agreed on that. Even Collin who had endless youthful energy was wearing down. 

Lunch was finished sooner than any of them liked, bless Ilia for feeding them however.

The base for the rafters was easily assembled and placed. Age being the lightest of the men was given the extreme honor of sitting atop the beams hammering them in place. Rusl and Kruhger offering him said beams and held them steady in case of an accident. 

Thankfully an accident never came. By the time the sun had begun to set, all that was left to do was get new hay on the roof. A job that could easily be done by Kruhger on a day off. 

“You sticking around for dinner Link?” Rusl asked. “I’m sure my wife wouldn’t mind fixing you a bowl or two.”

“No thank you.” Age declined. “I had hoped to leave a night or so ago. I can’t stick around for much longer and have it not weigh on my conscience.”

“Why, you got someone waiting for you?”

“A wife.”

Rusl nodded wisely. “Best not to keep her waiting then.”

\---

His departure from Ordon Village was a quiet one. Ilia had wished him a safe travel, Mayor Bo had forced him to take more food than was necessary as well as Rusl and his family coming to say goodbye as well.

It was a nice place he had to admit. The people were nice and the weather was kind. Age almost regretted leaving. 

Kaise was happy to leave. Poor kid had gotten sick of being cooped up for more than a day. He was jittery when mounted. Age soothed him with a hand. “Easy there.“

Should he leave the way he came? There would be a reason to do so, Age knew what lay beyond there. 

_ The forest. Go to the forest.  _

The voice in his head was back. 

_ You’ll find what you’re looking for in the forest. _

Would he? Really?

_ Yes. _

Kaise reached Twilight’s house. The afternoon was as sunny as it was earlier. There would be no problem in going through a heavily shrouded area like this one. 

The path, the one that led deeper into the trees. The forest. 

Well it wasn’t like he was specifically meant to go anywhere else. How would the regular path be any better than this one?

Kaise was easily led down the path. He acted as eager as Age to scout ahead and see what lay ahead. 

Surprisingly enough, it was just more trees. Who could have guessed. 

And more trees. And some more, and more in case he was getting bored of trees. The path turned into less than a dirt road, and more like grass that had been walked on multiple times. Beaten down by sheer force of will. 

When the grass path ended, Kaise refused to move any further. 

“Come on boy. What’s the matter with you?”

Kasie huffed, planting their hooves firmly in the ground. The surrounding area was big enough to walk through, there were no obstructions that Age could see around them. Why was he being so stubborn?

He thought hard, if we wanted to go deeper into the forest, he would need to let Kaise go. Tying him to the nearest tree would do the trick. But what were the chances Age would be able to find him again? 

Well it had happened once already hadn’t it? When Kaise had found him and Time after the recent split with the boys. 

Age had made his decision already. He dismounted, pulling off his sword and shield with him. The pack carrying his food and a blanket. This would suit him for now. If all went wrong, he had enough rupees to get more supplies. 

“Sorry to leave you here all alone.” He apologized. He decided not to tie Kaise. If he didn’t come back then the horse would need to go back to civilization or find the nearest water. A wild and abandoned horse was better than a dead one. 

Traversing the forest on foot wasn’t any more difficult than trying to weave a fully grown horse through it. It must have been nearing night with the lack of sunlight coming through the trees. 

It grew colder, soon Age had shrugged the blanket over his shoulders. The leaves grew damp with humidity. Humidity at night? Or was it the wet steam that came from decomposing leaves?

What was dying? It was spring? Never mind the matter, Age eventually had to rest for a moment. Despite his faster than normal pace through the brush, he didn’t feel tired. He didn’t feel particularly energized either, but he would be able to make steady work of this place before he had to turn in.

He grinned, it had been a while since he had spent a good old night in the forest all alone. 

Age walked some more. Maybe three more miles before his eyes grew heavy. He spent the night aloft in a tree, his bag tucked safely under his arm. 

When he finally did wake, the forest surrounding him was at first hard to notice. A thick morning fog had evaded the area, leaving the ground below him hard to see. 

Dropping down, Age had to slowly feel his way through. He could see trees, large bushes, that was enough to help formulate a plan for his path, but the roots of trees, small bushes, rocks and other obstructions sent him tumbling if he wasn’t careful. 

It would be a blessing when the fog left. 

\---

Three hours later the fog still hadn’t disappeared. 

Only when he had tripped on his third rock of the hour did it occur to Age. 

Hey this place is probably magical now that you think about it.

_ It took you that long?  _ The voice in his head jeered. 

Don’t be mean. He was having a pretty tough time right now. 

_ This is self inflicted. _

Aren’t you the one that insisted he go here?

_ You made the choice in the end. _

You sir are not helpful at the moment. Could you please leave?

Age couldn’t think of anything else for the negative voice in his said to say, so he decided to give into the neverending boredom. 

Where was he anyway? If this was some enchanted woods in Twilight’s Hyrule then where would he end up? God he hoped this wasn’t like the lost woods where you could die randomly for daring to trespass it without a shiny ‘Hylia’s Favorite!’ Sticker emblazoned on your lapels.

Did he still have the metaphorical sticker? Probably not. 

\---

Even if he was in a completely different Hyrule, Age wasn’t sure if he would notice. The fog had cleared somewhat, enough for him to see the ground. But when looking at the horizon all he could clearly see were more trees. Yipee. 

He was definitely lost. No questioning it. 

His stomach squeezed, did he just possibly leave Kaise to die? No he did leave him untied. But would he be able to fend for himself? He was just a horse after all, it wasn’t as if he would keel over the second no one was there to brush his coat. 

Right now Age would have liked some company. Maybe he could try and tame a woodland animal, have them ride around on his shoulder like Navi did. Having a squirrel companion sounded cool right? 

_ Do you know where you are? _

No? he just confirmed that he had no idea.

_ What day is it? How long have you been here? _

Well the time of day doesn’t matter, and since Age was currently in the middle of several dimension hops, the day didn’t matter either.

_ I’m talking about how long you’ve been in here idiot.  _

Ok, first of all, rude. Second, a day? Less than a day? He had only spent one night here so far.

_ Have you noticed yourself grow tired recently? _

Well, not really? But that was just because he was really used to walking! Traveling on foot with the boys had gotten him accustomed to it. 

_ Really? Not fatigue at all?  _

Age furrowed his brows. This voice in his head, which he was now suspecting to not actually be the small devil on his shoulder, was getting troublesome. He didn’t like doubting himself. 

But, now that he had mentioned it, he didn’t feel tired at all. He felt energized. Like he could keep going for another day, or two, or three. It was strange, he felt the pull of the beyond, a wind against his back continually pushing him forward. Why was there so much wind here and yet the fog still stayed? 

_ Can you guess where you are now? _

Against the impossible Age froze in his tracks.

He lost, in the lost woods. 

Dang it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally could not think of an NPC name so I reused one from another fic. If you get the reference hat's off to you. If you don't than you have nothing to worry about.


	21. Home Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boys leave Termina and uh oh!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy almost one month anniversary of this fic not updating <3
> 
> Lucky for you guys I don't have anymore long running fics or oneshots to take my time. I'll probably get another update out this or next week.

Twilight hated boats. They were big and water was scary and he always assumed being in one was going to be a lot less painful then it always was and he did not understand how Wind could do this all the time and call it fun. 

He was in hell and he was definitely oceansick. Was that the right word?

Either way, they were going to get off this boat and he was never going to look at this boat again.

Twilight was currently laying on his back, trying to pretend that the rocking beneath him wasn't the giant ocean of Termina, but- he didn't know, anything else. 

Wild and Wind were having a blast however. Legend was giving them a few tips and making a sour face whenever they asked why he was so good at this. 

Time was with him, Warriors too. Apparently the three of them weren't fond of boat travel. 

"I've never been on a boat before." Time admitted. "Nothing big anyway. Just rafts and swimming."

"So you're scared?"

"With the sailor with us? We're going to be fine. I just don't like the feeling."

Twilight had to agree. His stomach lurched again. Hylia this sucked.

There was a call from above. Twilight sure hoped it was Wind excited to see land and not a giant squid or something. 

Four threw open the door to the small cabin. "Land!" 

"Oh thank Hylia." Warriors sighed. "I am so sick of this place."

"Well hold on." Four countered. "Time we need you to confirm we're no longer in Termina."

"Unless it's the same beach from before, the chances are slim."

Time and the rest got up and moved to the bow of the boat. "Nope. We're somewhere else." He confirmed as he saw the land in front of him. "That's forest right there. There are none from Termina."

"Really?"

"Yes. But right now we need to figure out who's place this is."

"Possibly mine." Legend started. "At least, I think it might be. It's not Hy's."

"Not mine." Threw in Wind. "because I would know my Hyrule with my eyes covered."

"And we're not in the sky. So either we're in the early early stages of Hyrule or not in my era." Sky commented. "Twilight? Four?"

The both of them shrugged. "I don't know my forests well enough to tell from here." Twilight said. "Trust me, if I could. I would brag about it."

The boat got stuck in the rocks of the shore, almost a seventy feet swim from actual land. 

Groans came from the group as they realized that they would have to swim. 

"No one here has a raft in the backpack?" Sky pleaded. "I don't want to get my clothes wet."

"I'm carrying a lot of paper. I am not swimming." Four added decisively. 

"Is there a smaller raft in here?" Wind questioned hopefully? "Was there one in the back?"

"Nine people here and none of us have a raft. Astonishing."

". . . Guys. We can just store everything in here." Wild waved his slate in front of them all. "I'll have to take out a few pre-made meals to make room for everything we have, but that just means we get a good meal before heading out."

It was almost cheating having Wild's slate. But there was no way you'd catch anyone complaining about it. 

They ate a lot. Meat and pies and even cake. 

Of course swimming was going to be a pain. But eh- Worth it.

Twilight didn't want to be over dramatic, but he felt like kissing the land. Heavens above did he miss dirt. 

It had been a torturous day and a half. Absolutely unbearable. Completely horrible- he should stop now. 

Legend took a big huff of air. "Not my Hyrule."

"How do you know?"

"The air smells different. And there shouldn't be a sea anywhere near a forest this dense."

"Smart McSmarty no pants has his Hyrule down to a T." Warriors teased. 

"I'm good with directions. Shut up."

"A tie between me and Four then?" Twilight guessed. 

"It would have to be then."

Twilight copied Legend and took a big gulp of air in. It smelled like freshwater and a forest. How descriptive.

"Yeah, no clue." He admitted. 

"We have to start moving anyway. Even if we just need to get further in." Time instructed. 

They all agreed. It would have been nice to get more of a use out of the boat, but it was so far out of Twilight's mind. He just wanted to walk around on land.

\---

Hey hold on. He recognized that river.

Twilight grinned.  _ Finally _ . 

"We're in my Hyrule." He gleefully let the others know. 

"Really?" "Where are we?" "Does this mean we get to meet your girlfriend?"

Twilight scowled at the last question. "We should be in the forest around Ordon. Where I grew up."

Time smirked. "Today we visit the hometown?"

"Yeah. Hopefully. I actually have a house here."

"Even better."

Twilight resisted the urge to run. Or call Epona, or maybe turn into a wolf and get there as fast as possible. The kids there knew of Wolfie, the friendly wolf that visited. 

And whatever Legend said, he was  _ not _ giddy.

They entered into the little cove cropping in the woods that signified their location. Almost carved out of the rocks it was. 

His house would be on the other end, but walking through wouldn't be bad either. 

It was mid afternoon. Everyone was out. 

Rusl was the first to recognize him. 

"Link!" He yelled. Rusl dropped what he was doing and pulled Twilight into a hug. "My boy there you are!"

Hylia, it'd been too long since he'd been here. Twilight laughed into Rusl's shoulders. "It's been a while."

"I'll say!" Rusl pulled him back. "Colin's an older brother now. We have a little girl running around."

Twilight felt elated. "Really? Uli had the baby?"

Rusl hugged him again. "You need to say hi to her. Ilia as well. Colin's been so worried about you."

His shouts of joy had drawn the attention of others. Beth and Talo had ran to him and were jumping at his ankles. Twilight swiped the two of them into a hug as well. Why'd he ever leave this place?

"He's pretty popular here." He heard Warriors whisper to Time. 

"He's got people that care for him."

\---

Ilia was happy to see him. When she eventually made her way from out of the house to greet them she kindly bowed towards the older members of the party before giving Twilight a hesitant hug. 

"It's good to see you again."

Twilight grinned. "Sorry I was gone for so long."

"You're here now." She glanced at the others. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

He grinned, "Yeah. Ilia, meet my family."

\---

Being led through Ordon, as Rusl and Ilia pointed out every single change that had taken place since he left was comforting. Listen to Ilia calmly talk about getting new fencing for the goats, and Rusl pointed out every repair that he had made over the summer. 

"You see Kruhger's stable over there? That thing got shredded in one of the storms a few weeks ago. We had to grab the help of a few of the guys and-" He paused. "A relative of yours I think. Least he said he knew you."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" He spared a glance to the stable, an orange horse stood alongside a few others, quietly munching on grass. 

"Stranger came through a few weeks ago. He looked like the big man behind you." He made a gesture to Time. 

Twilight turned to look at Time. "Time do you think?-" He stopped when he saw Time walking towards the stable. 

"Time what are you doing?"

Time reached forward and ran his hands along the orange horse. It didn't pull away. 

He mumbled something under his breath. 

"Time?"

Time turned to them. "That's Kaise. Age's horse."

"The horse?" Rusl repeated. "He came through here about a week ago. Thin as a whistle and no saddle."

"I was the one to find him." Ilia spoke up. "I recognized him from when He and the other Link came through."

"Age was here?" Twilight asked. "Then why-" 

"Whatever it is it's not good news." Time said. "And we keep this from Wind, you hear me?"

Twilight didn't like the look on Time's face. "Alright."

"When did he come through?" Time asked Rusl. "You said a few weeks?"

"Well, yeah." Rusl explained. A concerned look on his face. "It stormed something awful almost two weeks ago. During one the other Link rode it. He stayed with the mayor for a few days, helped me fix up that stable and left that night."

"Where did he go? Do you know?"

"Not exactly. North, if that helps. Past your tree house." 

He and Time exchanged a glance. Worry on Time's face. 

"Kaise ran in after a week. I took care of him for a bit." Ilia added. "He talked about you Link. And that he was headed on his way home."

Time shook his head. "This is all wrong."

"We assumed something had happened to him. But there wasn't a way to tell. I'm sorry." She apologized, placing a hand on Twilight's arm. 

Twilight grit his teeth. "No uh. Yeah. Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

The tour was dead after that. Rusl said that he had to go take care of the new baby. Ilia invited them to dinner and went home. Time and Twilight just stood by the stable. 

Twilight wasn't sure what to say. If there was anything  _ to _ say. 

"What danger does your Hyrule have that could kill a skilled adventurer?" Time broke the silence. 

Twilight thought. "Nothing. Ever since my adventure it's been peaceful."

"Then why do you reckon Age isn't with his horse?"

"It ran away while he was sleeping?" Twilight suggested. 

Time snorted. "As if. Kaise is Epona's kid. He's stubbornly loyal."

"Horse thief?"

Time shook his head. "Until I see a body, I'm not believing anything."

It was a dumb thing to think Twilight thought. There were plenty of times you didn't have to see something to know, but there was a part of him that agreed. 

Who  _ wanted _ to know that someone had died?

Eventually the two wandered back to the others. 

"Have fun on your nostalgia trip?" Warriors called. 

Twilight forced a smile. "Of course. Looking at the new fences, I'm glad to see the improvements made."

"Warriors, Legend. With me." 

The two in question raised eyebrows but followed Time as he moved down the trail in the town.

Twilight watched them go. He felt sick in his stomach. 

"What does Time need from them?" Wild asked. "Think they're in trouble?"

Twilight shook his head. "No. I think Time is just updating them on plans, or something."

"Well hey, would this be a good time to see your house? You promised I could see it someday." Wild pushed. 

"Oh, sure. It's just down the trail." Twilight lamely pulled Wild towards his house. The little box house in the tree hadn't changed much. There were more leaves on the roof, but that's what happens when you don't stick around and do the housekeeping. 

Wild scaled the ladder, Twilight followed. 

The inside smelled like old wood and rugs. Just as it should. 

"Aww, this is so cozy." Wild remarked. "You got your owl little fireplace and everything."

"Yeah." Twilight didn't register what Wild was saying, too caught up in reveling the feeling of being home again. "Cozy."

"Hey, there's a letter for you here." Wild pointed to the table next to the window. A small piece of paper with his name on it sat there next to a stoppered bottle of Ink.

Twilight picked it up gingerly. He didn't recognize the handwriting. 

He peeled open the paper.

_ Hey there Twilight! I'm in your house! _

_ I've been on my own for a few days. a HUGE storm caught me off guard and I had to pull over into your hometown. Pretty cool right? I've been here for a day now, your house looks neat, I love the tree. I grew up in a tree house too! Ask Time about it. But I'll probably stay here until the storm blows over. The scenery is great. You live in a pretty cool forest. Might explore it later. But I need to get back on the main road soon anyway. _

_ I hope when you read this you're okay. And that everyone else is as well. Sorry that I wasn't able to give everyone a proper goodbye :( but I trust that you guys will be fine. You're all awesome kids. (Not that I'm much older) but you'll do just fine. _

_ Hello and goodbye! Stop by the castle if you ever visit. You can use this letter if need be. _

_ Link Nohansen Hyrule - 43rd King of Hyrule, king of New hyrule. (Age) _

Twilight read the letter once over. Then again. After his third time did he set it down and look at Wild, who was waving a hand in front of Twilight's face. 

"Oh so you are there." Wild joked. "Who's it from?"

Twilight pocketed it. "An unexpectedly heartfelt note from Uli." He lied. 

"She's your foster mom right?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Just stuff about how she misses me. I don't think she expected me to be back so soon." He winked at Wild, trying to keep a smile on his face. "Don't mention it to others. She'll be embarrassed." 

Wild chuckled. "Sure I won't."

"Is there anything you wanted to grab? If we're going to dinner for somewhere else then I don't see the need to stick around."

"What, you don't want a change of clothes?"

Twilight rolled his eyes. "Fine. Leave, and I'll change in privacy please."

Wild gave him a thumbs up. "Will do Mr Woofers."|

"Never call me that again."

"Okie Dokie."

When Wild left, Twilight did change clothes. There wasn't much, but it felt nice at least. 

Age stopped by his house specifically huh? At least he didn't mess with his stuff. 

He brought out the letter and read it again. Why did he keep doing that?

_ Sorry that I wasn't able to give everyone a proper goodbye :( _

That didn't sit right with him. 

There wasn't anything in his Hyrule that could kill someone like Age or Time. All there was was the occasional Keese, really the only dangerous thing around here was the- was the-

_ You live in a pretty cool forest. Might explore it later. _

Was the forest. 

Twilight knew the forests well. They didn't need monsters to be dangerous. 

_ But there was a monster there once. A stalfos with one glowing eye- _

No. 

He wasn't there anymore.

Twilight left the house. He frowned as he stared into the forest. It was getting dark. 

_ If he's even in there _

It made sense that he would be. 

_ You should go check it out _

But what about the others? If Age couldn't get through there, there was a chance Twilight wouldn't do much better. 

_ You grew up here. You won't get lost _

There was no proof of that. 

_ just shut up and go _

\---

As soon as the lights of Ordon village had been obscured by the amount of trees between him and home, did Twilight truly realize how much of a bad idea this probably was. 

But a pull was there. 

A pull was there and Twilight wasn't going to ignore it. 

There was fog at the base of the trees. It obscured his steps. 

No matter. He could make his way through just fine.

\---

"Where's Twilight?" Wind finally asked. "Is he taking that long to change?"

Wild shot him a look. "Maybe he's visiting with people he hasn't seen in a while."

"It's been half an hour!"

Wild bit his lip. "Just-"

"I'm going to check on him." Time got up and not bidding goodbye to anyone, left the house.

\---

Ok. There was more fog than planned. 

\---

Twilight was having trouble figuring out where he was exactly. Did he turn around somewhere? He hoped he wasn't going back to Ordon was he?

\---

In his mind he pictured stumbling across the ruins of a temple. The place where so many times before he had been brought to train. But all he could see was a misty white. 

\---

Time was gone no longer than fifteen minutes before he came back into the house. "If Twilight were to explore around here. Where would he be?"

Mayor Bo stood up. "Is he missing?"

"Most likely."

\---

Oh Hylia please let him trip on a branch to actually know he was going somewhere. There were no trees around to grab onto. Did he actually feel the ground beneath his feet? This was a bad idea. 

\---

He couldn’t see  _ anything. _

\---

He heard a shriek from behind him.

\---

This was a bad idea. 

\---

Something grabbed at his arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to wrap up this arc in the next chapter or so. Then I'm going to go on hiatus to rewrite the first few chapters. They are a dumpster fire of garbage and need to be corrected so that I can no longer feel shame towards them being the first thing that people read.


	22. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long time coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both of my last chapters ended with someone getting lost in the lost woods.
> 
> God I'm so good at this.

Age was tired, cold, hungry, very lost, and if he tripped over another goddamn branch he was going to set the forest on fire. 

Things were going great.

The fog wasn't very persistent at first. Now he could barely see his hands. 

How long had he been meandering around? No idea. It could have been hours, it could have been weeks. Unless he wanted to sit down and count every second that passed by, there was no way of telling.

Thankfully enough, he had enough food on him. He was hungry, sure, but not starving. 

Sleep wasn't an issue either. The lost forest liked to fuck with it's victims. Keep them alive and lucid as they slowly turned from human to walking skeleton. You died walking up. The skin would slowly slide off the bones and you wouldn't notice it. It was a gruesome fate. And whenever he remembered it, his hands went to his face and arms, making sure that he was still a whole human being. 

He had immunity in the forest back home, but there was no telling what this forest had in store for him.

He walked, and he walked. Because the moment he stopped walking he might never get up. 

How does one get un-lost in the lost woods?

He wasn't sure it was possible. 

This was pathetic.

He still had the blanket around his shoulder. It was a damp with the fog now, but it worked in keeping the warmth around him. He clutched it tighter to his person as time went on. Maybe this blanket was the key out of this place? What if this small blue blanket was the true meaning of life, and nothing else mattered except this cloth he got from a farmers market a year ago. 

He held it out in front of him. This blue blanket. It was now his royal cape. When he got home, his first order of business would to get this blanket knighted and have it become his royal cape.

In a bright moment of lucidity, he suddenly realized what the hell he was talking about. 

When he got home.  _ When he got home. _

Zelda,  _ his wife. _ Was waiting for him to get home. He was a king and this is what he was doing? Lost in a forest?

He threw his trusty blanket, not cape, back around his shoulders. 

With renewed determination he stalked to the nearest tree he could find. It wasn't too hard when you were in a forest. 

Climbing it, he got a better view of what was everywhere. More fog. But the elevation was helping. He saw the tops of trees, a glimpse of the sky. Dark blue, it was night. 

What could he use? What was at his disposal? Din's fire would wreck the place, Nayru's love? No. Farore's wind would have worked if he set a previous warp point. Did that work across timelines?

But no matter. He had his sword, shield, a blanket, some food, and the determination of a man on his way home. That's what the people in the books needed right?

Wait, where was the voice in his head? The one that got him in this mess in the first place. 

It had been the spirit of the forest that's what. The good for nothing forest spirit that prayed on travelers and those who it knew would come. 

Forest thing? Spirit? You there?

d  _ a n g e _ r

Well he knew  _ that. _

d a  _ ng e r _

It was the lost woods. Of course there was danger. Anything new to add?

_ son _

He heard an ear piercing scream from somewhere behind him. Age whipped around, losing his grasp on the tree and falling the ten or so feet to the ground. The wind was knocked out of him on impact. 

Screams. Someone, or something was in here with him. 

As soon as he got his voice back, Age scrambled up and ran for the noise. Stalfos or Skullkid or hell, another human. He needed to see this. "Hello!?" He shouted.

There was a shout. A cry for help. It made his hair on his neck stand. It was human. 

"I'll be right there!" He tried to assure this person. "Hold on!"

He ran. As fast as his legs would carry him. He didn't find anything but that didn't stop him. 

He slammed into someone.

\---

Something grabbed at his arm.

Twilight leapt away on instinct. A stalfos raised it's sword at him.

He drew his sword and blocked the blow aimed for his head.  _ Was this? _ No. 

Twilight kept his defense up. The stalfos was relentless in its attack. Any second his sword could break and Twilight would be a very dead man. 

He rolled to the side. The giant sword barely grazing his side and buried itself deep into the soil. 

As the stalfos tugged on his weapon Twilight took the opportunity and swung his sword between the ribs. It cut away most of the bone, the skeletal frame slumping to the side as it lost half its support.

The Hero Shade had taught him the best way to fight these creatures. He was one after all. 'Go for the spine, then the head.'

He was about to land another hit on the spine, possibly cleaving it in half before he had to duck to avoid another hit, he wasn't fast enough, the blade cut swiftly through the skin and scars on his forehead. Blood ran down his face and into his eyes. It burned. The ugly laugh of a stalfos ringing in his ears. 

Blindly now, doing his best to keep his eyes open, Twilight recklessly aimed for whatever part of the skeleton that he could get a hit on. The arm first, then the other one. The legs. The head tumbled to the side at one point, Twilight seized the moment and crushed it. Stomping on the brittle skull.

His chest heaved. He closed his eyes. He needed to find a way out. He had nothing, no fairies or potions, not even his pelts. He was going to die here if he didn't do something. 

His breaths became more rapid. He was blinded, eyes stinging with tears and blood. He was helpless, and if something right now decided to fight him he would die. 

He would die in the same place Time would have. 

Then, someone slammed into him.

\---

Oh  _ goddesses above _ Age had just body slammed the very person he was trying to save. Oh hylia above. 

He got on his knees, staring directly at the person. "Are you alright?" He demanded. He recognized them all at once. "Twilight." He breathed. 

Twilight looked bad. His face was covered in blood, tears leaked out of his closed eyes.

"Twilight! Twilight why are you here? What happened to you?" He questioned. "Here, I might have a potion, hold on-"

"Time." Twilight almost cried. "Time I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have you gone alone. I should have told someone."

Twilight didn't know it was him.  _ Because you sound exactly like Time. _ His mind supplied. 

"Here, take this." He shoved a red potion into Twilight's hands. "You need to stop bleeding."

"I- what is this."

"A potion. Now drink it."

Without hesitation, Twilight uncorked it and downed every last drop in the bottle.

"Good job- pup." Time called him that right? That was a thing

Twilight collapsed in his arms. Age, unprepared for that, panicked.

"'m sorry. I should have told you or Wild or someone. This- This place." He suddenly jerked up. "You shouldn't be here!"

Age opened his mouth, then closed it. How did one handle this?

"I'm going to be fine. Now let's get you out of here."

"But Time-"

"Twilight." Age stopped him. "I'm really sorry to disappoint you but I'm not Time."

"What?" He tried to wipe the crusted blood away from his eyes. His wound no longer bleeding. 

"Here." Age pulled rummaged through his bag, pulling on the cloth that held his food he handed it to Twilight. "You could use this."

Twilight grabbed it. Rubbing it across his eyes, then spitting on it and trying again. "Who-" He finally lifted his head, staring directly into Age's face. "No way."

"Surprise?" Age offered.

Twilight gaped. 

Age sighed. "No one expects me."

"You're here."

Age tried to hold back a laugh. "Yeah well I don't want to be. Any clue how to get out of here?"

\---

Time was going to end up going grey at thirty-two. That is, if he didn't pull it all out first.

A whole day. Dusk to dawn. And Twilight had nowhere to be found. 

First Age, now his surrogate son. Great. Just fine. 

They all looked for him. Wild was grilled over and over again about their last conversation. 'Did he mention going somewhere?' 'do you know why he would possibly leave?'

They didn't know this Hyrule. They hardly knew more about Twilight. Maybe he had a secret lover he had to see, maybe he needed to greet the princess in secret. Maybe both? There was literally no way of telling.

Legend and Warriors, the ones who Time had decided to tell about Age, kept eyeing him. He knew what they were thinking. Perhaps the disappearing were related. Twilight might know exactly what happened to Age and decided to fight the thing/ find him/ exact revenge?

Time was going to scream.

Night fell again. He tried to sleep, he really did. But not even the village members were as worried as him. Rusl, the man that greeted them, had started a search party consisting of him and every able bodied person willing to follow him.

When Twilight came back, Time was going to give him an earful. 

If? When? He couldn't imagine explaining to Malon that he lost a whole  _ person.  _

The moon was high in the sky. Eight minutes till midnight by his best guess. 

He stood outside Twilight's house. The small tree house was the last place he had thought to look. Now he was out of ideas. 

There was a rustle of branches coming from the forest behind him. Time instantly regretted not bringing his sword with him.

He turned to face the source of the noise. Almost crying when he saw a very tired Twilight tumble out of the forest and onto the path. 

"Oh thank the giants." He mumbled before rushing to get Twilight in his arms.

"Twilight, Twilight where have you been? Are you alright?" He noticed the still healing scar across his forehead. "You're hurt."

Twilight's whose eyes were half lidded and most likely barely conscious, sighed. "You already know 'm fine Age. You gave me the thingy thing- potion. That's it."

Time raised an eyebrow. Age? "Twilight, I'm not sure who you think you're talking too."

"Yeah, he's gotten the two of us mixed up recently." 

Time almost dropped Twilight. His one good eye opened wide at the sight of Age pushing himself out of the shrubbery. 

"Oh for goodness sake. Does no one expect to see me?" Age huffed.

"Apart from the fact that you shouldn't be here. Not really."

"Wait. There are two of you now?" Twilight slurred. 

Time glanced softly at the boy. He hefted him up into his arms, trying to hide the strain. "Go to sleep pup. You look tired." He was getting too old to lift these boys up.

As soon as Twilight was comfortable, Time leveled his gaze on his counterpart. "What the hell happened to you?"

Age shrugged. "Things. And a lot of walking. How long have I been missing?"

"The last time I saw you was five days ago. But according to the people of Ordon, three weeks."

Age whistled. "Fun."

"Tell me about it. Now let's get this kid home."

\---

So it had been close to a month since he had last seen Time and the others. But less than a week?

Talk about fast paced. 

The two of them made their way back to Ordon. Get Twilight in a proper bed and Age a couch possibly. 

"I think I slept once, maybe. My back hurts for sure I can tell you that." 

"Did you ever find yourself in random places at random times?"

"No. No not really." Age slapped his own shoulder. "I lost the blanket."

"You what?"

"I brought my blanket with me. It must have dropped when I ran to Twilight."

"I see."

"I was going to make it my royal cape. I think I was starting to go insane."

"And the first thing you thought of was to make your blanket a royal cape?" Time inquired, a small smile on his lips. 

"Well I'd like to see you do any better in the lost woods."

Time snorted. "And be dumb enough to go into them in the first place? I would bring fairies." He stopped. "But how did the two of you get out?"

Age shrugged. "Dumb luck and most likely divine intervention."

"Mom did always like you more."

Age raised an eyebrow. "Mom? As in our mother? Or are you making fun of Hylia."

"Take an educated guess."

Ordon was quiet when they arrived. More quiet than a normal small village in the early morning. That could be explained by most of the populous being away, either looking for Twilight or trying to get away from what could possibly take down a hero.

Age spotted Kaise. His eyes lit up. "Baby boy!" He rushed to where the horse stood upright in the stable. "You got out safe!"

"It's how we were able to tell you were here. And y'know, everyone else is telling us."

Twilight stirred in his arms. Moving to shield his face from the sun. 

Time chuckled. "I guess we'll just have to get you inside then?"

The sleeping young man mumbled something incomprehensible in response. 

Time glanced around. The party had been staying in the Mayor's house hadn't they? Surely Twilight and Age would be welcome as well. 

Once Age was done cooing over his horse, he took notice of Time's direction and hurried to open the door for them. 

The front part of the house was empty. Rays of light shown on a couch. Time gladly set Twilight to rest there, then made to shove Age next to him.

"I'm not sure where the beds are. But at least get a nap."

"Hear me right now, Time, you do not need to tell me twice." Age slung his arm over his eyes and flopped onto the couch. The two of them were asleep in a matter of seconds.

The house was empty as far as he could tell. No sound was heard throughout. 

Time gladly sat at the table in the kitchen, staring out the window. The sun slowly rose above the village. 

He should probably tell someone that the missing persons were back, but it would be hard seeing that everyone who cared was away. He would wait till they got back and found out for themselves. 

Almost an hour since they had gotten back, the front door was pushed open. Mayor Bo along with Warriors and Four got inside, all three of them yawning. 

Warriors took one glance between the sleeping figures on the couch and Time sitting quietly at the table. "And where exactly were these dipshits?"

"Lost woods."

Warriors facepalmed. "Of course they were."

The Mayor and Four actually were surprised. Four running out to tell everyone he could, the Mayor to do the same. 

"Don't wake them up." Time warned. "Twilight has had a hard day, and Age a rough three weeks."

Warriors scoffed. "Three weeks? Time bullshit again?"

"In his eyes, he hasn't seen us in a month."

"And we get the short end of the stick." He sighed. "I'm glad he's not dead though."

Time hummed. "Curb your enthusiasm."

Warriors glared at him. "Sorry."

"You haven't done anything."

Warriors was going to say something, but then the door was thrown open with a loud bang! Wind practically slamming into Age on the couch.

As one would expect when hit by a thirteen year old, Age was given a 'rude awakening.' "Holy  _ shit _ ." He wheezed. "Nice to see you too."

Wind's arms were wrapped tightly around the man's neck. As if any second second he would disappear. 

Twilight, both shaken by the commotion and then swearing, lifted his head up. "I'm up." He said. "What's happening?"

Warriors stalked over and ruffled his hair. "A reunion, idiot. Glad to see you alive."

"You don't ever do that again." Wind sniffed. "Don't even think about it."

Age, still groggy and trying to figure what was going on, patted Wind on the back. "Uhuh, sounds good."

Legend, Four, Wild, Sky, and Hyrule got through the door. Ilia with them.

They flocked to either one of the missing people, slapping them on the back and ruffling their hair. 'Good to see you're okay' and 'don't scare us like that again' was heard throughout them. 

Legend meandered back to Time, looking as inconspicuous as ever. "So, I totally thought that we were never going to see that guy again."

"So did I."

Legend shrugged. "I'm not complaining. Surprised is all."

"You and Warriors should start a club."

“I’m considering it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter till hiatus! Watch out gamers.


	23. Hiatus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post one more chapter but uh, things happen.

I've been teasing it for a while and finally the time has come! This is fic is going on hiatus for a while. 

AAttG was my second fic ever, and my third attempt at writing anything with a coherent plot and characters. Throughout the fic I've definitely seen myself grow both as a writer and my preferred genre, but I recently read through this fic, and there are a lot of inaccuracies, things I foreshadow but never mention again, faults of mine that show, and I really want to spend the time writing and re-writing. I love Age, and I really want to give him the best (this includes more character development lol) and maybe even try and figure out where i want to go from here. I have the next arc in mind but I would love to sit down and plan all of it instead of focusing on just getting another chapter out. 

I love you guys, the support you've given me fills me with confidence and really keeps me going. This was all meant to be a funny little three-shot where I ranted about an OC of mine, but you guys blew me away with all this love and support. I really didn't expect to get this far in writing at all. I can't thank you all enough. I read every comment a hundred times over, and whenever I feel like I'm not amounting to much, I reread the comments here and I'm reminded that someone out there cares for the content I put out. You've kept me going throughout 2020 and I doubt any of you even knew it. 

So I'll be back! Hopefully before the new year, but I don't want to put a deadline on it. Can you believe this fic is almost a year old? I'll be adding chapters as I go, and stay aware of this because I'll be editing this fic in real time, so if you ever see it in your emails or on the front page, you know I've done something and don't hesitate to check it out! 

I'm also on the lookout for a Beta reader, so if that sounds interesting to you then contact me on Discord (-Lucy-#3217) or Tumblr (Ineed-moresleep).

Thank you all again for being so understanding! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you really like the fic as it is now, and you don't want to see this rough around the edges fic go, then don't worry! I'll be reposting the unedited chapters and the 'raw' chapters in a different work. Be on the lookout for that "AAttG - Unchanged"

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated! Thanks!


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